GURUGRAM: Four months after chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar inaugurated an underpass and flyover at the Huda City Centre junction, the foot overbridge that was supposed to be built as part of the same project is yet to be completed.
According to GMDA officials, it will take another two months for the facility to be set up on the road leading from Huda City Centre to NH-48. The officials said they planned to ready the foot overbridge by September 30, equipped with stairs, lifts, and escalators.
“An issue cropped up when we started to dig and set up the foundation of the overbridge. There were several utilities like electric cables and gas lines installed at the same spot. We are now redesigning the foundation,” said a GMDA official.
“The electric lines, especially, are an issue because we cannot remove them entirely. Also, due to the monsoon, we cannot do much with them either. Instead, we are trying to change the alignment of the foot overbridge a bit,” added the official.
The officials said they would later consider an alternative site for the construction of another footbridge. “This problem tends to occur in most developed areas in Gurugram since we are unable to determine what is underneath until we start digging,” said the official.
The revamp project of the junction included the construction of a flyover, a unidirectional underpass, surface roads, auto and taxi stands, bus shelters and footpaths, which had been completed in March. The revamped junction was opened to commuters on April 1.
The revamp project, however, has been in the making for three years. Work was repeatedly held up due to the complications in shifting utilities, the pandemic, and repeated bans on construction activities due to high pollution levels.
Commuters expressed frustration at the delay in constructing the foot overbridge.“Huda City Centre is one of the busiest junctions as far as pedestrian movement is concerned. The GMDA has already scrapped one foot overbridge and is now delaying the construction of the second foot overbridge. This foot overbridge has been on paper since 2019. There is no reason why it should have taken three years to build it,” said Navneet Dhongra, a resident of Sector 43.
