By Express News Service
LUCKNOW: Solving the issue of cost-sharing of the link road joining Delhi-Mumbai Expressway with Jewar International Airport project, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana government have decided to share the cost incurred on road construction equally.
Earlier, it was not clear who will bear the major burden of cost as the Haryana government has to build a bigger portion (around 23.5 km of the total 31 km) of the link road. However, the Uttar Pradesh government has committed to share half of the total cost of the link road project.
The link road is expected to boost the connectivity in the Yamuna Expressway. It will give a push to trade activities in the region apart from making it easy for the fliers from Haryana.
According to a senior official of the industries department of the UP government, the holistic development of the Ghaziabad-Noida-Dadri industrial corridor investment region has to be kept in mind as the link road between Jewar Greenfield Airport area and Delhi-Mumbai expressway will be helpful in the long term.
Earlier, the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) had given the task of checking the feasibility of building the link road to RITES.
RITES had given two options–either to link the Jewar airport site and Yamuna Expressway to Ballabhgarh in Faridabad or to provide an interchange somewhere close to the alignment of the Delhi-Mumbai expressway and Western Peripheral expressway.
The second option was proposed to cater to the larger population, service providers, and business operators active in Haryana.
As per the sources, building the spur route to Ballabhgarh seemed more feasible and a proposal in this regard was sent to the state government by YEIDA. The state government’s decision has yet to come.
Sources said that the Uttar Pradesh government has agreed to share half the cost of the project and will reach out to the special purpose vehicle (SPV) of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) that is executing the Delhi-Mumbai expressway project to take things forward.
About 7.5km out of the total 31km link road will fall in Uttar Pradesh while the remaining 23.5km will come on the other side of Yamuna in Haryana.
A bridge will be constructed over the river and YEIDA will acquire the land required for the project.
Officials said preliminary discussions have already taken place with NHAI and funds will be arranged within the next few weeks to start the tendering process.
However, the YEIDA sources claimed that NHAI’s SPV would be needed only to commission the work. Land and funds would be provided by the two states governments involved.
