Forest department lacks funds to remove bollards along e-way

Gurugram Around 2000 bollards are lying along the main carriageways of the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway since February as the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI),

Gurugram Around 2000 bollards are lying along the main carriageways of the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway since February as the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), after replacing these with steel barriers, had decided to give the bollards to Haryana forest department, following a request from their end. However, forest department officials say that they currently do not have the funds to transport the bollards.

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The operator of the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway, Skylark, said that the forest department had asked them for the bollards so that they can place them at one of their sites in Sohna.

Officials of the forest officials said that they have specific plans for the bollards. Subhash Yadav, district forest officer, said, “We are going to use the bollards as our boundary pillars. I had spoken with the NHAI’s project director Gurugram that we don’t have the budget to transport the bollards.”

The bollards are lying along the expressway, on the sides of the main carriageway from Iffco Chowk until Narsinhgpur. An NHAI official said that the bollards are to be transported by the forest department and not them.

The bollards, with steel protruding out, pose a major threat for commuters. In February, the bollards were replaced with crash barriers to stop the threat of animals and vehicles falling in the drains that run along the expressway.

Col (retd) Subhash Yadav, general manager of Skylark, said, “The bollards are kept alongside the expressway and we do make sure with our regular patrolling that no one gets hurt by them.”

Road transport experts said that bollards along the expressway should be removed as they might cause a major accident.

Sarika Panda Bhatt, programme coordinator with Haryana Vision Zero, said, “The bollards are a hazard lying on the road. Are we waiting for an accident to happen before the bollards are removed?”

Bhatt suggested that the NHAI could store the bollards at its Sirhaul office. “The NHAI has ample space; they should lift all the bollards along the expressway and put them near their office,” said Bhatt.

However, expressway officials said that there is no space to store them near the NHAI office.