NHAI projects remain stalled as contractors await permission for movement of machines

The NHAI contractor said that once work starts in full force, it will take one-and-a-half months for the Shankar Chowk elevated U-turn and three months for the Ambience Mall underpass to be completed.

Work on projects related to Ambience Mall underpass, Shankar Chowk elevated U-turn and the Dwarka Expressway is yet to start as the contractors are waiting for permission from the district administration for the movement of hydraulic machines and cranes to their respective sites. On April 20, the contractors had applied for permission on the SARAL portal to allow the movement of workers. On April 24, the district administration had given them permission to resume work.

Work on projects related to Ambience Mall underpass, Shankar Chowk elevated U-turn and the Dwarka Expressway is yet to start

Saurabh Singhal, NHAI consultant, Shankar Chowk elevated U-turn and Ambience Mall underpass work, said, “There is no point of having permission for workers when we don’t have permission for the movement of vehicles at the site. With hydraulic machines and cranes not being allowed, we won’t be able to commence work at the site.” The NHAI contractor said they had applied for permission to move 10 vehicular machines on Friday. However, they are yet to receive it.

Kunal Garg, project manager, RK Contractor, which has the contact for Ambience Mall underpass and Shankar Chowk elevated U-turn, said, “Girder-launching work is still pending for the Shankar Chowk elevated U-turn. There are four girder launchers, one hydraulic, two transit mixers and rest are excavation machines. Now, without these machines, our work cannot commence properly.”

The NHAI contractor said that once work starts in full force, it will take one-and-a-half months for the Shankar Chowk elevated U-turn and three months for the Ambience Mall underpass to be completed.

Dwarka Express project contractor said that vehicle permission should also have been given along with labour permission. RK Mishra, project director, L&T, said, “We have received permission to start with 50% workforce, but what is the point if our vehicles are not allowed to move.”

NHAI officials in Gurugram said that it is up to the contractors to seek permission. “They should have applied for permission on their own. We have pursued and obtained permission for the project,” said a senior NHAI official. On April 13, the NHAI had written to the DC, asking the administration to expedite the process of granting permission for construction activity to start.

The administration had given permission to a few projects, such as the Badshahpur-Sohna Road, on condition of adherence to the standard operating procedure (SOP). One of the clauses for giving permission to NH sites in the city by the administration was that labourers would maintain social distance and a quarantine room will be set up by the contractor.

Sailesh Kumar, assistant general manager, Oriental Structural Engineers Pvt Ltd, which is the NHAI contractor, said, “We are in the process of making a quarantine facility. The administration will check it and give us a go-ahead to start work.” As per SOP, quarantine rooms have to be set up by the contractors, regular thermal scanning has to be carried out for all the labourers on the site. If anyone is found to have fever, they should be kept in an isolation room.