Land acquisition disputes delay key road projects in Solan

Tribune News Service

Ambika Sharma

Solan, November 19

Several key four-laning projects — comprising Baddi-Nalagarh and Solan-Kaithlight roads — in the district are running behind schedule.

The progress of all projects is monitored regularly to ensure that the work is completed in time. Ram Asra Khural, NHAI Project Director

Even the Parwanoo-Solan four-laning project, which was completed in June 2021, had exceeded its stipulated deadline. It was awarded in September 2015 for a 30-month period but its completion took 69 months. With several additional structures having been added like two viaduct bridges, the project was still continuing.

The much-awaited Baddi-Nalagarh project was awarded to Gujarat-based Patel Infrastructure Limited in October 2021. Investors were keenly awaiting its completion as being the industrial hub, the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh cluster faces voluminous flow of traffic.

Little work could, however, be executed for nearly nine months, owing to disputes pertaining to land award. A period of 30 months was assigned for the completion of the work by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).

“Barely 3 per cent work has been executed on the Baddi-Nalagarh four-laning project as it began in July this year. Several months were lost owing to the land acquisition disputes,” said Ram Asra Khural, project director, NHAI.

Yet another project to widen 22.91-km stretch of Solan-Kaithlighat section of the Kalka-Shimla National Highway (NH- 5) was running way behind schedule. Though it was assigned in December 2018 and was supposed to be completed in 30 months, barely 66 per cent work has been completed to date. Its deadline has been repeatedly extended for a year.

“Last year, the deadline was extended to November 2022 after barely 44 per cent work was executed till December. Now, the deadline has been revised to December 2023 as only 66 per cent work has been completed. Since the work to construct structures such as bridges was slow, the overall progress was slower even when the road has been widened,” said Khural added.

He further said the project management of AIREF engineers, which was executing the Solan-Kaithlighat four-laning work, had been served notices from time to time to pitch in additional manpower and ensure the completion of the work soon.

Moreover, the construction of flyovers at Chambaghat and Kandaghat, three railway overbridges and a tunnel are among the major works yet to be completed. Khural said the progress of all projects was monitored regularly to ensure that the work was completed in time. “But, unforeseen circumstances like land disputes had led to the delay in these projects.”

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