Citizens suffer as 28km outer ring road remains incomplete

Nagpur: Even as a lot of hype is being made about road projects in and around the city, residents along the four-lane standalone outer ring road (ORR) and bypass for the Nagpur city are suffering due to incomplete road work done by the National Highways Authority India (NHAI).
The Package II of outer ring road project covers 28km starting from Fetri on Kalmeshwar-Katol road connecting to Kamptee-Jabalpur road of NH-44 through Bokhara, Bharatwada, Panjara on Koradi-Chhindwara section of NH-47. Of the 28km, only 7km has been completed in stretches. Of the Rs639 crore project, over Rs312 crore has been spent.
The project, which started in January 2017, is in the doldrums despite 100% land acquisition. It was to be completed in 30 months. NHAI granted an extension to the contractor MEP Infrastructure Developers Ltd till March 2021, but still the concessionaire has failed to complete the project.
NL Yeotkar, project director, NHAI, admitted that the project has been left midway and only 40% of work has been completed. “The concessionaire has run into financial problems and we have issued ‘intent to terminate’ notice to MEP,” said Yeotkar.
Yeotkar said the project is being built under hybrid annuity mode (HAM) wherein 40% of the cost is shared by the NHAI and of the balance 60%, 45% is funded by the banks and 15% by the concessionaire. The contractor has utilized the entire bank money.
Residents of Ramnath and Mahalaxmi townships, Bajrang Nagar, and other independent colonies along Koradi road are facing grave inconvenience. A TOI visit to townships and localities on Sunday found that in some patches, a cement road has been constructed but people cannot use it. Work on culverts and bridges has been abandoned in the entire route.
Architect Sharique Sheikh said that even a brief spell of rain makes the ring road slushy, and “it is difficult to ride two-wheelers”. “Life has become a hell for over 1,500 population who use the one-km muddy and potholed road to reach Koradi main road,” he said.
“There are no street lights and the cement road in front of our township is a dead-end where anti-social elements consume liquor and throw empty bottles along the road. Women cannot step out after 6pm, even in case of emergency,” said Rajendra Gupta.
The outer ring road was the focal point, said Vijay Kolhe, why people bought residential flats and houses in 2017. “The ring road was a big hope as it would have connected us to the city and help avail all facilities, including healthcare,” he said.
Pravin Sable said that they are aware that the dispute with the contractor will not resolve soon. He demanded that the NHAI at least develop a service road and street lights in the 1km stretch from their locality, which is the end of the ring road. “This can solve our woes to some extent,” he said.
Aftab Sheikh said that the contractor laid four huge foundations on both sides of the Koradi road for a flyover and abandoned the work. Now, these spots have turned into open wells and have become accidental spots during the night.
Omkant Srivastava said that riders have lost balance due to potholed road and got injured. “Due to bad roads, even school van drivers had refused to pick up kids from the colony and asked parents to drop them till the main road,” he said.
Yeotkar said the grievances are genuine but their hands are tied. “As the project is under HAM, the MEP will have to settle disputes with the lenders. Secondly, we will have to appoint a new contractor, but this will happen only next year as December is the final deadline for MEP to complete the project,” said Yeotkar.