The Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (Yeida) on Saturday said that it has directed Jaypee Infratech Limited (JIL), developer of the Yamuna Expressway, to come up with an action plan on the installation of safety measures on the 165km e-way in one week. Yeida officials said that Jaypee Infra will now have to spend Rs 338 crore on the implementation of the recommendations made by IIT Delhi in its safety audit report on the expressway.

The development has come days after Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath directed that JIL will have to spend funds on the installation of safety measures. On July 11, the CM had pulled up officials and the JIL at a meeting held in Lucknow.

Last month, Yeida had made an estimate of Rs 224 crore for the implementation of measures recommended by IIT Delhi. But now Rs 338 crore has been finalised, the officials said. In the earlier plan, the 7-point measures were to be taken in the first phase. But now 13 measures are required to be taken that need more budget, they said.

“After CM’S directions, we have asked the JIL to submit an action plan on the implementation of safety recommendations in a week. Jaypee Infratech will have to spend Rs 338 crore on implementing the safety recommendations without any delay because the government’s priority is to ensure safety to motorists,” Shailendra Bhatia, officer on special duty (OSD), Yeida, said.

Earlier, the debt-ridden JIL had shown its reluctance in arranging funds for the implementation of safety measures. The reason was that the company is facing corporate insolvency and bankruptcy proceedings, and thus unable to arrange funds immediately for this purpose, the Yeida officials had said.

But now the CM has removed all confusions and directed the JIL to arrange funds for the implementation of the recommendations made by IIT Delhi. The CM had called a meeting with senior officials and JIL in Lucknow after 29 people were killed in an accident on the Yamuna Expressway on July 8 when the driver of the Delhibound bus dozed off and the bus fell into a drain under the jurisdiction of Etmadpur police station in Agra.

“The JIL in its action plan will detail out as to when it will implement the 13-point measures. It will prepare an action plan along with timeline detailing when each measure will be implemented on the e-way,” Bhatia said.

Despite repeated attempts, Jaypee Infratech refused to comment on the fresh development pertaining to the Yamuna Expressway.

The 13 points suggested in the IIT Delhi report include additional signage (distance bar markings) before the exit ramps, removal of lane system, installation of rumble strips at the entry and exit ramps, installation of crash attenuators at the exit ramps, audible shoulder marking throughout the corridor, removal of all signposts from the shoulder; reinstallation of shoulder guard rails as per the standard specifications and replacement of existing raised median (divider) with flush median and central guard rail as per the standard; additional retro reflective board at toll plazas, presence of speed cameras to be doubled in the next 2 years, additional speed claiming measures at toll plazas, smoothing of metal beam crash barrier, transition of existing beam guard to concrete guard and plantation of 1.5 metres high dense hedges near underpasses.

Yeida had in August last year hired IIT Delhi for conducting the safety audit of this expressway that passes through six districts of Uttar Pradesh. The six districts are Gautam Budh Nagar, Aligarh, Mahtura, Hathras, Agra and Bulandshahr.

Following the criticism from the Supreme Court that is hearing a petition seeking motorists’ safety on the expressway, the UP government had directed the officials to beef up enforcement to check speeding and other traffic violations that cause fatal accidents.

On March 6 this year, the Allahabad High Court had pulled up the state government on safety guidelines in response to a public interest litigation (PIL) alleging non-compliance of road safety measures on the Yamuna Expressway.

In the past six years, as many as 720 people had died in road accidents on the Yamuna Expressway, claimed the petition filed by one Bharti Kashyap. The petitioner had alleged that due to non-compliance of road safety measures on the e-way, a large number of accidents were taking place.

First Published: Jul 15, 2019 12:50 IST