NHAI mulls extension for four-laning project

Ambika Sharma

Tribune News Service

Solan, November 24

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is assessing the need to give extension to the 39-km four-laning of the Parwanoo-Solan section of the National Highway-22. The executing company, GR Infra, had sought a 15-month extension in October.

Company officials had cited various hindrances like delay in land acquisition, stay on work by the National Green Tribunal for a few months among other technical issues which had surfaced while executing the project.

As against the deadline of March 2018, the officials have sought additional 15 months for completing the project till June 2019.

Sources in National Highways Authority of India confirmed that a request for extension had been received from GR Infra and that the engineering staff were assessing it.

Since the executing company has little experience in executing a project in hilly areas, several issues had cropped up which required technical handling. Several such issues had not been addressed in the project report and these are now becoming a headache for the company. With little study having been undertaken on the cascading effect of excavating hills, it was found that breast walls erected in the 11-km area had failed to sustain. This has rendered the protection work ineffective and the project officials are now awaiting the approval of additional budget to raise the walls of a relevant height.

Excavation of the fragile Shivalik hills has opened a pandora’s box of problems with neither the hill strata settling down after excavation nor working on the valley side being an easy task, given the vibrating effect of excavating the hills.Despite a lapse of more than two years, the four-laning work is nowhere near completion owing to these problems and the rain has offset whatever progress was made in laying the four-laned road.

A visit to the most-affected stretch from Parwanoo to Dharampur revealed that the entire road was in a mess and landslides had blocked a major portion of the double-lane developed along the hillside. Plumes of smoke which emanate from the site have enhanced the risk of respiratory disease, while the wear and tear of vehicles has increased manifold.

Project Director, GR Infra, Devasis Patra, said the issue pertaining to the extension of the project was being assessed by NHAI officials, adding that the issue of cost escalation which had been referred to the Chairman, National Highways Authority of India, had been discussed during a recent meeting with their company chairman. He said no decision had been taken in both issues.

Why need more time

• The executing company has little experience in executing projects in hilly areas.
• With little study having been undertaken on the cascading effect of excavating hills, it was found that breast walls erected in the 11-km area had failed to sustain.
• The project officials are now awaiting the approval of additional budget to raise the walls of a relevant height.