Noida CEO asks NHAI to speed up work on Faridabad-Noida-Ghaziabad Expressway

In October, 2015, the ministry of road transport and highways decided to convert the non-operational 43km FNG Expressway into a 75km national highway.

The Noida authority chief executive officer (CEO) Alok Tandon has requested the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to expedite work on the stuck Faridabad-Noida-Ghaziabad (FNG) Expressway, which is now being developed as a national highway.

The FNG Expressway is a part of the Eastern Peripheral Expressway (EPE). It was aimed at decongesting Delhi, as this road would help commuters reach Faridabad and Ghaziabad without entering Delhi. (Sunil Ghosh /HT Photo)

In October, 2015, the ministry of road transport and highways decided to convert the non-operational 43km FNG Expressway into a 75km national highway. The project has not seen any progress since October.

“I have conducted an inspection on a stretch of this project in Sector 137. I also spoke with top NHAI officials and requested them to share the progress report. We want to understand when this project will be completed. It is of immense importance as it will streamline connectivity in Noida and other NCR areas. Therefore, we want to support NHAI in expediting the work on this project,” Tandon said.

The FNG Expressway is a part of the Eastern Peripheral Expressway (EPE). It was aimed at decongesting Delhi, as this road would help commuters reach Faridabad and Ghaziabad without entering Delhi. Given the strategic importance of this road, many real estate projects have also come up along its length in Noida.

In 2016, the NHAI had roped in a consultant to prepare a report on this project that runs into 75km beginning from Ghaziabad’s NH-58 and terminating in Rewari, Haryana. However, the NHAI is yet to share further progress on this project.

The Noida authority has completed 70% work on 17km FNG stretch. But work on FNG, which was conceived way back in 1989 remained disrupted for many years for various reasons, including land disputes.

“Once the NHAI will share the progress report and the current status of this project then we will think over ways how we can finish this at the earliest,” Tandon said.

Quick numbers

--1989 project is conceived

--2015 NHAI takes over

-- Rs1,000 cr budget

--43km length of expressway

--17km stretch in Noida

--70% work in Noida complete

--11 major sectors—121, 119, 142, 159, 141, 160, 162, 163, 164, 156 and 158, among others—located along the road

--Thousands of premium flats under-construction in group housing projects along this road