Noida rejects proposal to hike budget for Chilla elevated road project

NOIDA: The Noida authority has rejected the revised budget of ₹1,076 crore for the 5

NOIDA: The Noida authority has rejected the revised budget of ₹1,076 crore for the 5.5-kilometre-long Chilla elevated road, proposed by the Uttar Pradesh State Bridge Corporation (UPSBC). The elevated road has been proposed to ease traffic congestion between Delhi and Noida.

Noida rejects proposal to hike budget for Chilla elevated road project

The authority rejected the escalated budget because the revision from the initial cost of ₹605.30 crore to ₹1,076 crore is not justified, said officials. The work on the project was halted in March 2020, due to paucity of funds.

“We cannot approve such a huge escalation in the budget. It is also a violation of rules. We can only allow small revisions on justified grounds. We have directed the UPSBC to take corrective measures,” said Ritu Maheshwari, chief executive officer (CEO), Noida authority.

The UPSBC in 2021 had revised the budget from ₹605.30 crore to ₹860 crore. Now, it has again revised the budget to ₹1,076 crore, citing the hike in price of construction materials as the project got delayed amid a fund crisis.

UPSBC officials said that they have submitted a fresh budget of ₹900 crore after the Noida authority’s objections with regard to the budget of ₹1,076 crore. They refused to further comment on the matter.

The Noida authority in March 2020, in its 200th board meeting, asked its staff to stop work on the Chilla elevated road due to a financial crisis. Incidentally, it was the first time that the board decided to halt work on such a big infrastructure project, citing paucity of funds.

The authority started work on the Chilla elevated road on January 25, 2019, right after chief minister Yogi Adityanath laid the foundation stone of the project.

“The UP government and the Noida authority must have addressed the issue of funds because the delay has resulted in huge cost escalation. The worst part is that thousands of commuters face severe traffic congestion on the Delhi-Noida link road, particularly during peak hours. The Chilla elevated road work must be expedited,” said PS Jain, president of Confederation of Delhi-NCR RWAs, an umbrella body of RWAs.