Plan to expand Raghopur road connecting Delhi to Gurugram likely to get delayed

Gurugram: The proposal to upgrade the road connecting the Upper Dwarka Expressway with Najafgarh Road is expected to get delayed as the Haryana government has decided that the Delhi government should bear the cost of buying land for expansion and construction of this road, which falls in Raghopur village in Delhi. A senior government official, aware of the matter, said that the decision had been taken at the government level, and the onus now rests upon the Delhi government to take the project forward.

The Upper Dwarka expressway is 60 metres wide in Gurugram but connects with a Delhi road in Raghopur village, which is only 10 metres wide for the entire length of 1.8km. It falls in Delhi, well beyond the Gurugram border.

According to government officials, authorities in Delhi had proposed to expand this road and upgrade it and for this purpose an amount of ₹53 crore was required for acquisition of about 25 acres land and ₹50 crore was needed for the construction of this stretch as presently hundreds of commuters use this road and face problems since it turns very narrow in the stretch which falls in Raghopur village of Delhi.

Locals aware of the matter said that currently after crossing the master sector roads of sectors 108 and 109, commuters arrive at the Raghopur road in Delhi which is 1.4km in length and is only 10 metres wide. After crossing this stretch, commuters connect with the Sector 114 and Sector 115 road which has adequate length and once this road ends, there is another stretch of 371 metres, which again falls in Delhi and has less width leading to more traffic congestion.

A letter written by the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) to Delhi government authorities said that a proposal was made to them that ₹53 crores approximately may be required for acquisition of 25 acres of land and another ₹50 crores approximately for construction. The letter also said that the CEO, GMDA had suggested that the government of Haryana may consider partial financial support to fund the project, for which they will put up the matter before their Competent Authority to take a final view and intimate GNCTD accordingly.

“May kindly note that the competent authority has examined the proposal and decided that the cost of land acquisition and construction may be borne by the state where the land is physically located and hence Government of NCT, Delhi, may consider acquiring the land and expedite construction of the missing link at the earliest,” the letter written by GMDA official on January 3 said.

A senior GMDA official, when asked about the matter said that this decision had been taken at the highest level of government. “The cost of building this road will be borne by the Delhi government,” he said.

Local residents, meanwhile, said that expansion and upgradation of the road will improve the connectivity between Delhi and Gurugram. It will also provide an alternative road link between Delhi and Gurugram for residents in sectors 99A to 115, villages Daulatabad, Chauma, Dhanwapur, Dharampur, Kherki Majra, Dhankot, Basai, and villages of Delhi such as Raghopur, Kanganheri, Chhawla and Bijwasan.