Work on western bypass set to miss March 31 deadline

Parveen Arora

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Tribune News Service

Karnal, March 25

The Public Works Department is set to miss the March 31 deadline for completion of the western bypass. While sources say only 75 per cent of the work has been accomplished so far, the authorities concerned maintain the project will take another month to complete.

The department is blaming its counterparts for the delay. Sources held the delay by Shivpuri Committee of Ram Nagar in providing land and removal of encroachment responsible for missing the deadline.

The CM had directed the authorities concerned to beautify both the sides of the bypass with trees and lights, install crash barriers and construct retaining wall along the Western Yamuna Canal for the safety of the commuters. The work is yet to be completed.

Admitting the delay, Yogesh Mehra, XEN, PWD, says, “The Irrigation Department has changed the size of the Western Yamuna Canal to accommodate the high flow of expected water at the eleventh hour, due to which we hadto change the drawing of the retaining walls near Kachwa junction.”

The Irrigation Department has requested the PWD to delay the installation of crash barriers along the Western Yamuna Canal due to desilting work. The railway was yet to finalise work on railway underpass, which was to be constructed by the end of February.

The XEN says the Irrigation Department has assured to complete work by the end of April and the PWD will also complete the project by April 30. Sanjeev Kumar, XEN, Irrigation, could not be contacted despite several attempts.

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had laid the foundation stone of the 6.5-km long and 10-metre wide western bypass on February 8, 2916. The bypass is being built at a cost of Rs 57.09 crore and will connect Kaithal road and NH-44 near Uchana village to ease the traffic congestion.

The work started in July, 2016. The project grabbed headlines earlier as the authorities had started the work without clearance from the Regional Empowered Committee of Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change for cutting trees.