The construction of the four-kilometre long smart roads, first of its kind in the city, launched as part of the Smart City project is facing delay despite being launched three years ago.
Taken up in 2018, the Rs 80 crore project has already missed the deadline of January 2020 and is not likely to be completed within the next six months due to the hurdles involved, according to sources in the district administration. While the work has been lying suspended for the past two months due to a ban on construction in view of the imposition of GRAP (Graded Response Action Plan) to curb air pollution, the pace of work has also been hurdled by encroachments, delay in payments and non- availability of workforce since the onset of the Covid pandemic, it is revealed. The project includes two roads that run parallel to connect Badkhal Chowk and Old Faridabad Chowk on the National Highway with the Bypass highway having a length of about two-kilometer each. “ The poor pace of work has left commuters at the receiving end, who have been a victim of traffic congestion due to haphazard work,’’ says A K Gaur, a resident.
