E-way underpasses back on track

GURGAON: A proposal to build three underpasses at IFFCO Chowk, the Signature Tower intersection and Rajiv Chowk on the Delhi-Gurgaon expressway has cleared a major hurdle after facing several delays since it was mooted last year. The detailed project report (DPR), based on which budgets are made and funds sanctioned for infrastructure projects, has been submitted to the MCG.
The DPR will now be sent to the Centre for approval and also to the state government, which will decide each civic agency's share of the project cost.
The cost of the underpasses has been increased in the final DPR submitted by Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System Limited (DIMTS) by about Rs 19 crore compared with the earlier estimate of Rs 760 core.
The DPR also highlights that close to 2,000 trees will have to be shifted to facilitate construction work apart from Rs 110 crore being spent on traffic signage and route diversions. It also seeks funds of Rs 120 crore for tunnelling work.

MCG chief engineer RK Singhla told TOI that Rs 52.92 core would be spent on traffic diversions at IFFCO Chowk, Rs 30.25 crore at Signature Tower and about Rs 30 crore at Rajiv Chowk. "The construction of drainage lines and shifting of water supply lines during construction is crucial for the project for which Rs 29 crore has been earmarked in the DPR itself," said Singhla.
On the trees that will have to be shifted to facilitate construction work, Singhla added, "About 2,000 trees will have to be shifted as per the DPR. There are about 350 trees around Signature Tower, 1,563 trees near IFFCO Chowk and about a 100 more near Rajiv Chowk that have been identified by DIMTS that need to be removed. The DPR will be sent to the central government for approval and the state government for deciding cost-sharing between agencies."
The proposal to build the underpasses had stalled after the MCG declined to bear the entire cost of the project and argued that other government agencies must share the burden. The state government had subsequently asked the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) and department of town and country planning (DTCP) to bear 25% of the project cost from the corpus that is collected as external development charges from residents.
The project will take around three years to complete once work starts.