The Centre on Thursday cleared a project for six-laning of the Eastern Peripheral Expressway at a cost of Rs7,558 crore, a move that will help in curbing the increasing traffic and pollution in Delhi.
The ring roads — 135km Eastern Peripheral Expressway (Kundli-Ghaziabad-Palwal stretch) and 136km Western Peripheral Expressway (Kundli-Manesar-Palwal) — were first proposed in 2005 after the Supreme Court ordered decongestion of Delhi roads. land acquisition issues, cost escalations, and delays by contractors brought both the projects to a halt.
After a recent intervention by the Supreme Court, which refused to further extend the project completion deadline beyond July 2018, and continued pressure from the National Green Tribunal, the Government decided to act fast. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways had sent the proposal to the Centre for consideration in March this year. Eastern Peripheral Expressway and Western Peripheral Expressway, will keep away at least 70, 000 vehicles from Delhi roads.
“Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has given approval for development of six-laning of Eastern Peripheral Expressway (National Highway NE-II) in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh,” an official statement said.
The cost is estimated at Rs 7,558 crore, which includes Rs 1,795.20 crore for land acquisition, resettlement and rehabilitation and other pre-construction activities. “The total length of the road will be around 135 km and this work will be under the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) mode (where the Government bears the cost of construction). Main object of the project is to improve infrastructure in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh,” said the press statement.
“The road is a peripheral road around Delhi, so that the traffic that is not destined for Delhi does not pass through this city. This avoids congestion and pollution,” it said.
Meanwhile, the Haryana Government, which is implementing the Western Peripheral Expressway, has also received six bids for the remaining work on the Kundli and Manesar stretch.
“A contractor has been engaged for completing work on the remaining Manesar and Palwal stretch. The State cabinet is likely to take a decision soon for the Kundli-Manesar stretch. We will award the work in less than a month and the entire stretch should be completed by end of next year,” said an official from the Ministry of Roads, Transport and Highways privy the development.