NOIDA: The 6-km-long Chilla elevated road project has hit a hurdle because of a mismatch in the actual location of a gas pipeline and its position on the Noida Authority's utility map. As a result, the agency building the road, which is crucial for the city's connectivity with east Delhi, has to redesign the pile foundation.
The gas pipeline was laid by GAIL several decades ago. Engineers now have to find a workaround for the foundation of the pillars of a 2km stretch of the elevated road. Instead of single foundation piles and pillars, GAIL will go for a portal design across the stretch to maintain distance from the underground gas pipeline.
Officials said that a detailed site survey to assess the exact alignment of the pipeline was conducted earlier this month and it was found that design of 12-15 pillars will have to be modified to ensure complete safety.
Though Uttar Pradesh State Bridge Corporation Limited, the agency executing the project, had finalised the current alignment after studying the detailed project report and the utility map, the situation was different on the ground.
“A variation of more than a metre was found between the actual location of the pipeline and what was mentioned in the utility map. The pipe runs in a zig-zag along the 1.2-km-long stretch close to the drain,” said an official involved in the project.
A senior GAIL official deputed in Noida, who did not wish to be identified, said that the utility services plan is prepared by the local municipal authority. “The local civic body (Noida Authority in this case) makes a note of all the underground utilities after getting in touch with various service providers. Our line was put in place near Shahdara almost three decades ago. It runs 1m to 4m deep around the stretch,” said the official.
When contacted on email, there was no response from the company.
The Chilla elevated road project has faced multiple hurdles in the past. The presence of slums next to the drain has also delayed the piling work. However, Noida Authority general manager Rajiv Tyagi said the project is going as per the deadline. "It is slated to get over by December 2021 and will be thrown open to commuters in 2022. Discussions are being held regularly to resolve all kinds of issues,” he added.