Delayed Barapullah work yet to begin despite land transfer

A view of the under-construction Barapullah flyover near Mayur Vihar on Monday.

Work on the third and last phase of the much-delayed Barapullah flyover project will be completed in one year, officials in the Public Works Department said, a week after the lieutenant governor (LG) approved the land transfer for the project, putting an end to a longstanding dispute.

The construction of the 3.5km stretch of the Barapullah elevated road began in April 2015 and was slated to finish by October 2017. The road has been lying half-built from both sides for the last two years,with a small missing link over the Yamuna, work on which was held due to the dispute over the acquisition of a 2.5 acre land patch.

Following a long legal battle, the courts approved acquisition of land for the project in January this year, after which the acquisition was done in small portions.

On November 18, LG VK Saxena approved the acquisition of the last two land parcels in village Nangli Razapur, southeast district, clearing the way for the flyover that will connect Mayur Vihar with Sarai Kale Khan through a signal-free stretch.

However, the work is yet to begin, as officials said that they are waiting for a nod from the southeast district magistrate.

“We know that the land has been cleared but the paperwork for the ownership transfer of land has to happen at the southeast district magistrate’s office by the revenue department. We can only start work once we have the final documents. About 82% of the work is done. This is a crucial 900m stretch as it will be built over the Yamuna river. Laying the foundation for the pillar in the middle of a river was a challenging task that has been done this year. Now, we just need to connect the missing link with the rest of the flyover,” said a PWD official, asking not to be named.

When contacted, DM Isha Khosla said that the processing of documents has started and the land is under the mandatory statutory notice period.

“As per law, before we take possession, we need to allow a minimum notice period of 30 days. This will end in the first week of December after which a hearing will be conducted and the possession of the land will be taken. This will then be transferred to PWD,” Khosla said.

The LG’s office could not be reached for comments. However, while approving the last patch of land transfer, the LG had said that the six-year delay has increased the project cost by ₹362.37 crore and the government will now end up paying ₹1326.37 crore for the project against the tender amount of ₹964 crore.

At present, the incomplete flyover lies barricaded, and officials said that they are also yet to start black topping and installation of exposed reinforcing bars at expansion joints after every 40 metres, which can only be covered after the entire flyover is connected.

The Barapullah Phase-3 project is aimed at improving connectivity between east, south and New Delhi and decongest the Nizamuddin Bridge, Bhairon Marg and Ashram Chowk on Ring Road. It is likely to cut the travel time between east and south Delhi to about 20 minutes.

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