Work too slow, Noida junks plea to hike elevated road budget by Rs 150 crore

NOIDA: The Noida Authority has rejected a demand to increase the construction cost of the Bhangel elevated road project by Rs 150 crore.
The UP State Bridge Corporation, which is responsible for building the road, had requested the original budget of Rs 468 crore to be increased, citing a rise in the cost of construction materials.

The Authority, however, shot down the proposal, asking why the project had overshot its deadline. In fact, the Authority is now planning to discuss the slow pace of the project with the state government.
Started in June 2020, the elevated road was supposed to be ready by December last year. Although the deadline has now been pushed to December 2023, the project is unlikely to get ready by then, with more than 30% of the work left to be done.
Ritu Maheshwari, the Authority CEO, said they could not raise the budget for the project "just like that" because the construction agency was already informed about the cost when the work order was handed over to it.
"Yes, the bridge corporation's demand to escalate the cost has been rejected. The agency has been told that whatever revision is there in the project cost, it has to be at its end. The agency was handed the project through a bidding process, where the cost was clearly mentioned. So, the cost cannot be raised just like that," Maheshwari added.
Maheshwari expressed concern over the progress of the construction and said she would put it up with the state government.
"The demand they raised is not justifiable. We will inform the government about the slow pace of work. A decision needs to be taken in this regard," she said.
Once ready, the elevated road will streamline traffic in Sector 82, bypassing the busy markets of Chhalera, Barola and Bhangel.
Officials said several factors had contributed to the delay. In winter, when the air quality deteriorated, construction had to be stalled as part of GRAP measures. The shifting of utility lines also had an effect on the progress of the project.
Last year, the Noida Authority received Rs 150 crore under the Centre's Gati Shakti scheme.
The local traders expressed frustration over the lack of work progress, saying the construction of the road and the dust it kicked up had hit their businesses.
"There has been hardly any progress in the past six months. We have written numerous letters to the authorities concerned, but to no avail. We have also organised meetings with the Noida Authority and requested the officials to construct the roads and set up dust control measures. But nothing has come out of them so far," said Sandeep Chauhan, the district general secretary of the Uttar Pradesh Udyog Vyapar Mandal.
The Authority will also hold a meeting with the state government to seek an approval for a Rs 801 crore budget for the Chilla elevated road project.