Gurugram MP moots elevated road to curb traffic snarls on NH-48

Rao Inderjit Singh, Union minister of state (independent charge) will propose the construction of an elevated road from Hero Honda Chowk to Umang Bhardwaj Chowk to the Union transport ministry for reducing congestion along the stretch.

MP Singh made the announcement on Friday while on visit to chair a meeting of officials and civic agencies.

“I will take up this project with Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari, who will hopefully approve it. This stretch experiences heavy congestion and if an elevated road is constructed, movement will become easy,” he said. According to him, Gadkari approved several road projects in the city after he took them up with him.

Singh also called for a fresh survey at Narsinghpur on National Highway 48 (NH-48) to find out whether a traffic signal or an overbridge will be feasible at the location.

“It is important for the safety of pedestrians that a foot-over-bridge or traffic signal is installed at Narsinghpur. Many people cross the road on this stretch and there is a strong need for such an intervention,” he said.

The minister further said that the project to extend the Metro from Huda City Centre to Old Gurugram was also discussed at the meeting. “The Metro project has been delayed due to back-and-forth with the detailed project report (DPR). I will be pursuing this matter to ensure the project takes off,” he said.

Singh also said that construction of the new Civil Hospital was also discussed in detail. He was informed that the MRI machine and other equipment will be shifted soon from the site. “I spoke to the additional chief secretary, health, and he assured me that the shifting will take place soon,” he said.

According to a statement released by the district administration on Friday evening, Rajiv Arora, additional chief secretary, health, informed that permission to shift the MRI machine and other equipment has been granted and the process initiated. Arora also said that delay in shifting occurred because a private partner was involved in the operation. He assured that there are no other impediments and work on the new hospital will begin soon.

Senior officials from the district administration, police, the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA), the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG), the Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP), and the department of town and country planning (DTCP) were present at the meeting to discuss, and report on various other projects.

The union minister asked civic agencies to take measures to prevent waterlogging during the monsoon season. “There is a need to focus on rain water harvesting and revival of ponds in the district so that groundwater levels can be improved,” he said.

During the meeting, Subash Yadav, additional CEO, GMDA, said that the authority is focussing on maximising the use of recycled waste water, and rainwater harvesting. “A pipeline will be laid to take treated waste water to Damdama lake at a cost of ₹6 crore. Several harvesting structures have been constructed in the Aravallis to ensure rain water collection,” he said.

According to GMDA officials, construction of a new hospital in Kherki Majra will be completed by August 24. Development work for the Gurugram University is also underway, and 20% work on three buildings has been completed.

Officials also discussed a proposal to extend the metro line from Palam Vihar to Dwarka. The project is under consideration of the state government, which has called for a revision in the DPR.

Gurugram police informed that they are taking several steps to resolve traffic congestion and new experiments are being conducted to ensure smooth movement of vehicles at congested spots.