With only five days remaining for end of latest deadline of November 30, it is clear that the construction agencies responsible for ISBT and Ballupur flyovers would not be able to complete the work of these structures. Chief Minister Harish Rawat had fixed the aforementioned deadline for completion of works on these flyovers. Incidentally this would be eighth time when the deadline for completion of these structures would be jumped with disdain by the construction agencies. Meanwhile common people are bearing the brunt of the protracted time period these flyovers are taking to get completed.
A visit to these flyovers reveal that Ballupur flyover would take at least a month’s time to get completed if the construction agency the Engineering India Private limited (EPIl) works in full throttle. The work of span of the flyover is complete but major portion of carpeting, electrification and preparation of approach road are yet to be done.
The work on ISBT flyover which is being constructed by the Public Works Department (PWD), however is near its completion and in all probability it would get completed in next eight to ten days. In ISBT the electrification and painting works are currently in progress. Here carpeting on major length of the span is complete the approach and service lanes are also complete in all respects. Another important feature of the ISBT flyover is that the State Government has decided that it would now be ‘Y’ shaped so that the traffic coming from Haridwar By- pass side also gets its benefit. The work on this phase has also commenced. In present form the flyover rises above the ISBT intersection and links Saharanpur road with initial point of Shimla By- pass.
It is worth mentioning here that the EPIl is yet to get the work of service lane competed in Balliwala flyover though this structure was inaugurated on July 25 this year. Those intending to go the Saharanpur chock from the GMS road are facing problems as work on service lane is going on.
The Chief Engineer, National Highways, Hari Om Sharma told The Pioneer that the work on both Ballupur and ISBT flyover would get completed soon. He said that work on ISBT would be completed by November 30 and it is expected that the flyover would be inaugurated on December 06. Sharma claimed that the work on Ballupur flyover would also be finished by December 10.
With an aim to provide relief to people, the work on Ballupur, Balliwala and ISBT flyovers started in March 2013. Initially work on these structures was scheduled to be accomplished by October 2014. However these structures are yet to be completed despite of the fact that the state chief minister and governor have repeatedly told the authorities to ensure that the work on them is expedited and government has issued as many as eight deadlines for the construction agencies.