Noida: 20 projects off to a start, passes and sealed borders pose hurdles

NOIDA: Two days after the government eased lockdown restrictions, work on 20 key infrastructure projects resumed in Noida on Wednesday. Officials, however, claimed to be battling with manpower shortage and unavailability of heavy machines due to prolonged Covid-19 lockdown.
Among crucial projects, work on 5.5-km long Chilla flyover that would connect Mayur Vihar in East Delhi directly to Noida–Greater Noida Expressway close to Mahamaya flyover and Sector 71 underpass, commenced. These two projects are extremely crucial to ease traffic congestion between Noida and Delhi and clear bottlenecks at the intersection connecting Vikas Marg and Vishwakarma Road near Sector 71 signal.

Before lockdown came into effect, piling work was being undertaken near Mahamaya flyover. Work is not expected to pick up pace before this weekend since operators required to function piling boring machine are stuck in the national capital due to the sealing of Delhi–Noida border.
While one boring machine is present at the site, the second one is yet to be transported from the Eastern Peripheral Expressway. “Since the borders of Gautam Budh Nagar are sealed, we’ve been coordinating with the authorities to make passes for the workers required to operate the two machines. Once we’ve these resources, things would get back on track,” said a senior official of State Bridge Corporation Ltd, the executing agency for Chilla flyover.
Similarly, officials supervising the progress of Sector 71 underpass said opening Noida City Centre to Parthala Chowk route via Vikas Marg would take time. “Our focus is on finishing the link between 61 and 70x sectors via Vishwakarma Road. We’re grappling with shortage of labourers. But we would try to finish one leg within six months,” said general manager, Noida Authority, KK Agarwal.
Another general manager, Rajiv Tyagi, said besides Chilla flyover work, “maintenance, electrical and sewage line work have also commenced”. But, officials said that the decision on revising the deadlines for the infrastructure projects is yet to be taken.