Panel asks govt to ensure timely completion of Delhi Expressways

NEW DELHI: A parliamentary panel has asked the government to ensure that ambitious Rs 5,000 crore peripheral expressway projects to decongest Delhi is completed "without delay" as they are running years behind original target date of completion.

"The construction of the Expressways are moving in a snail's pace...The Committee hopes that the Union Government will sort out the issues with the respective stakeholders of these projects to complete them without delay," Standing Committee on Transport has said in its latest report.

The two expressways -- 135.65 km Western Peripheral Expressway (WPE) and 135 km Eastern Peripheral Expressway (EPE) were planned in 2006 following a Supreme Court order to form a ring road outside Delhi for channelling non-Delhi bound traffic bypassing the national capital.

The CPI-M MP Sitaram Yechury headed Committee said, "WPE and EPE can bring a lot of relief to the transport in Delhi region" and needs "to be completed at the earliest" as "both these projects are running years behind original target date of completion."

While EPE envisages to provide signal-free connectivity between Ghaziabad and Faridabad, and Gautam Budh Nagar (Greater NOIDA) and Palwal, the WPE connects Kundli to Palwal via Manesar in Haryana.

The Committee said it was aware of the problems faced in the funding of the projects but was hopeful that the issues would be sorted out.

While the original cost of WPE escalated to about Rs 2,700 crore from initial Rs 1,367 crore, the EPE will be built at a cost of about Rs 2,300 crore.

EPE is still to be awarded by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) while WPE was awarded by the Haryana government to a private developer in January 2006. It is yet to be completed.

The Committee said: "Delhi is expected to get relief from those inter-state vehicles which are are passing through Delhi at present although not destined for Delhi."