GMRL chief reviews Gurugram Metro works, pushes for faster utility shifting

Phase One has achieved 12-13% physical progress, with U-shaped girders set to launch near Sector 40 next week.

Gurugram Metro Rail Limited (GMRL) chairperson D. Thara and CEO Chander Shekhar Khare on Saturday directed officials to expedite utility shifting and improve inter-departmental coordination during an inspection of key project locations, as the metro corporation targets August 2028 to start operations on Phase One.

Officials inspected Umang Bhardwaj and Hero Honda chowks and reviewed power, road and other service relocation issues (HT Archive)

Phase one will run from Millennium City centre to sector nine metro station near Basai, along with a spur to Dwarka Expressway. The project has achieved around 12 to 13% physical progress so far, with GMRL expected to launch its first U-shaped girders near sector 40 next week, officials said. Piercaps were installed on pillars at the same location earlier this month, they added.

D. Thara, chairperson, GMRL, who is also secretary, department of capital development, ministry of housing and urban affairs (MoHUA), along with Khare and officials from local departments, visited Umang Bhardwaj Chowk and Hero Honda Chowk to review ongoing works, a GMRL official said. Project teams apprised them of the status of components, construction activities, site constraints and key milestones, the official said.

The two officials called for immediate focus on utility shifting and relocation issues, which are critical for uninterrupted execution of the project.

The concerned agencies discussed issues related to the shifting and relocation of electrical utilities, road-related infrastructure, and other services. “The need for close coordination among utility-owning agencies was emphasised to ensure timely resolution of such issues and facilitate progress at various construction fronts,” the GMRL spokesperson said.

The inspection was attended by representatives of GMRL, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA), DHBVN, HVPNL and other utility-owning agencies. A review meeting was later held at the GMRL office to assess project progress, upcoming milestones, utility shifting and relocation, inter-agency coordination and other implementation issues, the spokesperson said.

The project’s timely execution depends significantly on the transfer of private land, shifting of a power substation and gas pipelines, and removal of structures between Subhash Chowk and Basai Chowk. On Friday, Haryana chief secretary Anurag Rastogi directed the district administration and local agencies to expedite private land purchase and utility shifting during the fifth high-powered committee meeting on the Gurugram metro in Chandigarh.