MCG starts work on Gurugram’s first model road

The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) has started constructing the city’s first model road–Khatu Shyam Mandir Marg–to connect Golf Course Road (GCR) with the Huda City Centre (HCC)-Golf Course Extension Road (GCER) stretch near Dhani Chowk, officials said on Thursday, adding that it is expected to be completed by July.

The 1.2-kilometre stretch starts near Genpact Chowk on GCR and ends at Dhani Chowk. As part of this model road project, MCG will build roads in line with Indian Road Congress (IRC) standards with LED streetlights, drains, and footpaths.

“Construction on the project started last Friday. The MCG will widen the stretch by adding an extra lane and work on setting up footpaths, streetlights, and upgrading drains. Due to a lack of available space, these are the only amenities which can be set up along the stretch,” said a senior MCG official privy to the matter.

MCG executive engineer Vishal Garg declined to comment on the matter.

The stretch is also being developed to serve as an alternative route to the heavily congested St Thomas Marg–an arterial road that links Genpact Chowk on GCR with Shaheed Hawaldar Singh Chowk located on the HCC-GCER stretch, said officials.

Khatu Shyam Mandir Marg and St Thomas Marg are located a kilometre apart but are parallel to each other.

According to MCG’s concept of a model road, such a project includes the construction of public toilets, benches, dust bins, CCTV cameras, green belts, traffic signals, pelican lights, public announcement system, rumble strips, signage and zebra crossings, besides footpaths, streetlights, high-quality drains, and roads.

The model road project was proposed by Kuldeep Singh Bohra, the local ward councillor during an MCG House meeting in July last year. In April, the MCG’s finance and contract committee (F&CC) approved a ₹1.32 crore tender for the project.

“Besides providing connectivity to residents of the area, this stretch is geographically important . Along with St Thomas Marg and the AIT Chowk-Brigadier Osman Chowk, Khatu Shyam Mandir Marg can be another arterial road that helps reduce congestion on GCR and GCER,” said Bohra.

The Khatu Shyam Mandir Marg project was the third model road project MCG had proposed.

Earlier, under the directions of Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, the MCG in November 2018 had announced that five stretches — Hero Honda Chowk-Huda City Centre stretch via Subhash Chowk, Rajiv Chowk-Railway Station (along Old Railway Road), New Railway Road, Mahavir Chowk to Iffco Chowk, and the Sector 4/9-9A dividing road — will be developed as model roads.

Around 12 months later, the Vyapar Kendra-Gold Souk Mall stretch and two stretches in South City 1 were announced as the next model road projects. However, the chief engineer who had proposed this project was transferred soon after, and the matter remained on paper.

In March 2019, MCG started horticulture work on two of the five stretches, the Hero Honda Chowk-HUDA City Centre stretch via Subhash Chowk, and the Rajiv Chowk-Railway Station stretch (along Old Railway Road). However, a month later MCG started transferring all major roads including the five stretches to the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) and there was no further progress on the project.