Only 45% work complete, contractor of Nalagarh highway project opts out
The widening of the Pinjore-Baddi-Nalagarh highway to four lanes will be further delayed as Gujarat-based Patel Infrastructure Limited, which was executing the work, has opted out after completing barely 45 per cent of it in 39 months.
In a communication to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), the company has cited various reasons like delay in land acquisition, impediments in the shifting of high-tension power lines, gas pipeline, etc, for opting out.
The decision has not come as a surprise as the work was progressing at a snail’s pace for the past several months and was unlikely to meet the extended deadline of August.
Anand Dahiya, Project Director, NHAI, Shimla, said, “An assessment of the pending work has been undertaken to invite fresh bids as barely 45 per cent of the work has been completed. It will take six months to award fresh tenders though the work will not be halted.”
He added, “Patel Infrastructure Limited will also be directed to complete the vital safety work before it is given a foreclosure. A tender for executing the key safety and maintenance work worth Rs 5 crore has been floated and will be awarded soon.”
Patel Infrastructure had opted for the project at 37 per cent lower cost. NHAI officials, however, said that in view of the cost escalation of major construction materials like steel and cement, which are worked out vis-a-vis the wholesale price index and the central price index, at least 20 per cent lower cost had been offset. It was unfair on the part of the contractor to abandon the project at this crucial juncture when all obstacles had been removed, he added.
Of the total 36-km length, a 17.37-km stretch lies in Himachal and the remaining in Haryana. The four-lane road will have 104 culverts, 16 minor and five major bridges. While the work to construct major structures like a flyover and bridges, which are in various stages of construction.
Launched in April 2022, the project was slated to be completed by September 2024 but several extensions in the deadline had been vain. An amount of Rs 305 crore had been spent on land acquisition while the construction cost had been pegged at Rs 469 crore.
The under-construction highway has become major inconvenience for daily commuters and the local industry as the available road space is inadequate to accommodate the daily vehicular traffic. Being a key industrial hub of the state, the region witnesses an influx of more than 20,000 vehicles everyday.
Himachal Tribune