More roadblocks slow down work on Chandigarh-Kharar highway project

Already stuck on the slow lane, the Chandigarh-Kharar highway project is facing many roadblocks. With the government’s indecisiveness over traffic diversion issue for over two months and tardy disbursement of compensation for land acquisition, the 10-km road project, aimed to be completed by this year end, is all set to miss the deadline.

Now, with the contractor Larsen & Toubro not being able to work without having the land in question besides a traffic-free construction site, the construction engineering company complained again to the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) last week, following which the authority took up the matter with the state government.

Traffic trouble

Heavy traffic on the road has been one of the major issues faced by the contractor. Although the contractor, NHAI and the district administration had suggested some alternate routes to divert the traffic, which were red-flagged by the state government. The government had ordered to form another panel to come out with more suggestions, which are yet to see the light of the day.

However, it was not the only issue hindering the road construction work.

“If traffic diversion is finalised, we also need the land in question to make service lanes. Besides, the drainage department has to lay new drainage system,” said a NHAI official, pleading anonymity.

“We understand the traffic diversion issue was more complicated but what was stopping district administration to start the disbursement of the compensation amount?” the official said.

Dangling disbursement

It was only recently that the administration started the disbursement of Rs 99 crore, awarded by NHAI for land acquisition in May this year, but at a slow pace. Of the Rs 90 crore given to the administration from the Rs 99 crore, the compensation amount is yet to receive the beneficiaries.

Besides, a compensation amount of Rs 14 crore for razing 130 structures was awarded over one-and-a-half years ago, but the amount has not been disbursed completely.

All this has almost stopped the construction work.

What they say

NHAI project head KL Sachdeva said, “We have taken up the matter with the government. The administration had assured to speed up the disbursement of compensation amount. Land will be available for the work as soon as compensation is disbursed.”

Meanwhile, the district administration said the disbursement was going on. “There has been a delay in the process. We have disbursed around Rs 9 crore of the Rs 14 crore awarded for demolition of 130 structures, while the disbursement of Rs 99 crore has also started,” said a district administration officer, requesting anonymity.

Meanwhile, Mohali deputy commissioner Gurpreet Kaur Sapra said the disbursement had started.

“I have asked the officer concerned to completed the process as soon as possible so that the project could be completed in time. Besides this, I am yet to get the report on traffic diversions. We will soon finalise diversions to facilitate construction,” she said.

On being asked about the delay in disbursement of compensation, she said, “Maintaining the record of affected parties was a cumbersome procedure that took time, which is why the process got delayed.”