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Make road under Kharar flyover motorable in 15 days: Mohali DC to NHAI and L&T
NHAI has also been told to identify structures left out from the compensation award list and inform land acquisition panel within a fortnight
Mohali deputy commissioner Girish Dayalan has directed the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and Larsen & Toubro officials to make the road under the Kharar flyover motorable within
15 days.
The NHAI is overseeing the flyover project being executed by Larsen & Toubro. After missing its previous deadlines, the project is to be completed by March 2020.
In a meeting held with the officials on Thursday evening, the DC has asked both the stakeholders to expedite the work of the Kharar flyover as well as the Dera Bassi-Zirakpur highway project in a phased manner.
The DC said one side of road along the Kharar flyover will be made motorable within 15 days while the pending work on the other side, which is presently closed in 900-metre sections, will be completed after removing the previous layers.
In order to streamline traffic, Dayalan suggested diverting vehicles from the construction site to other roads so that the work can be completed in stipulated time. The sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) will oversee it in coordination with police.
The road has been earning the epithet of a “killer stretch” as the NHAI’s right of way (ROW) is not clearly discernible and non-existent at several points. Further, there is no uniformity in the ROW on the two sides of the highway.
“The NHAI has been asked to take proper action in this regard,” said Dayalan, adding that joint demarcation will be done by a panel of revenue officials headed by L&T and NHAI officials. “This will bring out where there are encroachments and where there is any need to acquire any further ROW.”
Regarding compensation for land acquisition, it was decided that some structures (and in cases where land was left out) which were not given the award need to be finalised. The NHAI will identify them and send a final list to the land acquisition committee (LAC) in 15 days.
Last week, too, the DC had shot a letter to the NHAI project director, asking him to smoothen the flow of traffic on the Kharar-Chandigarh and Zirakpur-Dera Bassi highways. He had asked the national authority to ensure immediate action on certain issues and submit a point-wise status report .
After missing two deadlines, the NHAI had launched a five-day demolition drive on July 2 and razed as many as 240 of the 300-odd structures which were in the way of the Kharar flyover. The demolition was done between Balongi and Khanpur stretch.
The NHAI on Friday said that the remaining 60 structures that are to be demolished are causing a hurdle in the construction of the drainage system.
“The structures are causing a massive problem. We are unable to lay the drainage pipes as the structures are erected on the stretch,” said NHAI technical manager Bavnesh Kumar. He said they are yet to decide the date for the last demolition drive, which is likely after August 15.
On the issue of compensation to affected owners, he said payment for 45 structures has been deposited in the Mohali SDM office. “We are expecting the payment of remaining 15 landowners by next week,” he said.
