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Delhi-Meerut e-way: Phase 4 delayed due to land clearances
Ghaziabad: The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has planned an alternative route for Phase 4 (Dasna to Meerut) of the Delhi-Meerut Expressway project,
Ghaziabad: The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has planned an alternative route for Phase 4 (Dasna to Meerut) of the Delhi-Meerut Expressway project, bypassing a problematic stretch of 6km belonging to four villages in Ghaziabad.
In 2017, then divisional commissioner Dr Prabhat Kumar had set up an inquiry on complaints that certain officials allegedly connived with private persons and purchased land after the notification of land acquisition was issued in 2012. It was alleged that purchases were made by officials in the names of relatives.
Further, the cases were also sent for arbitration and the final settlement was done at six times the normal rate of ₹1,100 per square metres. Officials said any sale/purchase of land after a notification is not allowed as per rules. But , in this case, nearly 450 sale deeds were allegedly executed after the land acquisition notification.
The officials said the outcome of the inquiry and FIRs are pending and they are awaiting clearances from the government for land belonging to villages of Dasna, Rasoolpur Sikrod, Kushaliya and Nahal.
“The pending land clearance is affecting our work. The issue was also taken up in a recent meeting held at Lucknow. The official completion date of Phase 4 was August 2019, but it is likely to be completed only by March 2020. In the meantime, we have planned that commuters can take the Dasna interchange of the Eastern Peripheral Expressway for about 2.5km and then descend a ramp to move towards Meerut,” RP Singh, project director (NHAI), said.
“With this arrangement the commuters will be able to bypass the land where construction is stuck. Once the land clearance is received and the stretch is constructed, commuters can use the original route. Any change in alignment of Phase 4 route is not possible. We have also placed the land issue before the ‘Pragati’ review meeting, which will be taken up by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 7. The alternative route will not involve any additional cost,” he said.
During the ‘Pragati’ meetings, Modi reviews major infrastructure projects and gives instructions for resolution of issues.
The DME project with four phases is pegged at a total cost of ₹6,273 crore. Phase 1 — from Akshardham to UP-Gate — and Phase 3 — from Dasna to Hapur — are already operational.
Phase 2 — from UP Gate to Dasna — is under construction. The Phase 4 is proposed as a six lane access controlled expressway from Dasna to Meerut over a stretch of about 32km.
The NHAI officials said near Bhojpur, they also have issues with the farmers of Jainuddinpur, Moradabad and Bhojpur villages near Modinagar but issues are not so complicated like the ones prevailing at the four villages near Dasna.
District magistrate Ajay Shankar Pandey Monday also undertook a site inspection of the Delhi-Meerut Expressway project and asked officials to take up pending works on priority.
“The issue of four villages has already been referred to the state government and we are awaiting directions. Once that comes, the land issues will be resolved. For the pending issues of three villages, I have asked officials to get in touch with farmers and resolve them at the earliest,” he said.
