The heavy traffic on the 5 km stretch from the Chilla border to the Mahamaya flyover in Delhi, has always been a headache for the daily commuters. One of the major reasons for this is the delay in the 5.5 km Chilla, a six-lane elevated road project. It has now been halted over an escalation cost of Rs 150 crore.
The project has been in the works for 12 years. Only 13 per cent of the construction work has been completed till now. The Uttar Pradesh Bridge Corporation (UPBS), which is building the road, claims no need for government approval to release additional funds. However, the Noida Authority has sought clarification from the UP government on how to release the additional funds.
The Chilla Elevated Road Project was planned 12 years ago. Its purpose was to avoid the traffic congestion from the Chilla Border to Mahamaya flyover. A plan was made to build a 5.5 km long and six-lane flyover parallel to the Shahdara drain. Separate entry and exit points will also be made on the elevated road for commuting from different parts of Noida. The elevated road will link Delhi’s Mayur Vihar with the Mahamaya Flyover on the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway.
According to the Times of India report, the cost of the Chilla Road project has now increased. Earlier this year in June, MG Contractors were given the tender of completing the project. The Bridge Corporation, which issued the tender, notified the Noida Authority that MG Contractors has vowed to complete the task for Rs 624 crore against the estimated cost of Rs 701 crore.
Sandeep Gupta, Joint MD of Bridge Corporation, said that if GST, labour cess and other charges are added, the government will have to spend a total of Rs 938 crore on the elevated road project. He said, “There is no need to get approval from the government because it had already allowed the cost escalation while approving the revised budget of Rs 787 crore in June last year.” as quoted by TOI.
The Noida Authority did not believe the corporation’s claim. The authority has now sought clarification on how this additional amount of Rs 151 crore will be financed apart from the amount approved by the government. Authority CEO Lokesh M said, “We are waiting for the government’s response in this regard. Since the budget for this project has been approved by the state cabinet, the government should take a decision and approve this additional project cost.”
