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Haryana-UP connectivity — a bridge too far?

5 yrs on, Manjhawali Bridge incomplete | Offers first direct connectivity between state & UP in Faridabad

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Bijendra Ahlawat

The work on the construction of the Rs315 crore Manjhawali Bridge over Yamuna River to connect Faridabad with Greater Noida in UP is running behind schedule and is likely to miss its deadline again, given the pace of work.

Its foundation stone was laid on August 15, 2014. Seen as the first direct connectivity between Faridabad with Greater Noida, it is likely to reduce the travelling time to just half an hour from the present two hours.

‘All hurdles stand clear’

All hurdles stand clear after the issues were discussed in the meeting held recently with all stakeholders and the company carrying out the work on the ground has been directed to complete it by the end of June this year.

Rahul Singh, XEN, PWD

Marred by an initial delay of over three years after its formal foundation, the project could take off in February 2018 only with the assurance of it being completed in 18 months. Though the initial deadline was fixed for December 31, 2019, it was revised to March 2020 and has again been shifted to June 30, 2020, mainly due to the delays associated with the work. Sources in the PWD claim that the June 30 deadline will also be missed if work fails to gather desired pace. The officials had earlier claimed that the first phase, including the 630-metre bridge and its pillars, will be over by October 31, 2019, but the construction of pillars in the riverbed is still in the finishing stage. The second phase will be taken up only after the first is over. The work on the project has been halted for the past few months due to various issues including payments to contractors, design and approval from the authorities concerned and the elections.

However, the initial delay of over three years is directly blamed to ‘red-tapism’ associated with the process of land acquisition, clearances, sanction of funds and political wrangles, sources in the department said.

However, Rahul Singh, XEN, PWD, claimed: “All hurdles stand clear after the issues were discussed in the meeting held recently with all stakeholders and the company carrying out the work on the ground has been directed to complete it by the end of June this year.”

“The commuters will be able to save fuel and time, as they have to travel via Delhi to reach Noida or Greater Noida at present,” said Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, Krishan Pal Gurjar, who is also the local MP. Claiming that the project was likely to be completed by June end, Gurjar said it was his dream project and he personally was supervising the progress at regular intervals. Revealing that the work of laying the slabs on the pillars had been started, he said the agency concerned has assured that it would be completed within the given deadline of June 30, this year.

Statistics

Length of the bridge over river

600 m

Length of road connecting the bridge

24 km

Length of the road in Faridabad

20 km

Length of the road in UP

4 km

Foundation laid on

August 2014

Cost of the project

Rs 315 crore

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