Noida asks IIT Delhi to vet cost escalation of Bhangel elevated road

The Noida authority has sought the assistance of the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi to review the budget of the Bhangel elevated road project, officials said on Sunday.According to officials, the decision comes after the construction agency, Uttar Pradesh Bridge Corporation, raised the budget by 150 crore, citing increased prices of construction materials.Initially, the authority had approved a budget of 467 crore for the project when construction began on this vital link, which aims to provide a smoother commute for thousands of commuters. However, the Noida authority has rejected this budget increase, arguing that the hike is excessive.

“We cannot allow such a significant budget increase for this project, and therefore we have rejected the agency’s proposal. We have also notified the UP government about the rejection of the 150 crore hike. Furthermore, we have requested the IIT Delhi to conduct a thorough review of the budget escalation. Once we receive the report from IIT Delhi, detailing the feasible budget increase, we will make a decision regarding this project,” said Ritu Maheshwari, the chief executive officer of the Noida authority.

The agency justifies the budget increase by pointing out the rising costs of construction materials, particularly steel, since the start of the project.The Bhangel elevated road, spanning 5.5 km, began in 2020 but has been plagued by delays, resulting in traffic congestion on Dadri road and significant inconvenience for daily commuters.In November of last year, the Noida authority extended the project deadline from December 2022 to December 2023. Officials attributed this delay to the Covid-19 pandemic. While the authority has completed 75% of the work on the project, progress has slowed due to the budget revision issue.

During rush hour, the Noida authority has closed off traffic junctions in Sector 107, Sector 49, Sector 82, as well as several internal roads, redirecting traffic to alternate routes. Consequently, this has caused significant chaos for commuters.
“We have been hearing that the work will be completed soon. However, for a long time, commuters have been inconvenienced due to traffic diversions. Now, the budget issue will further delay the project, causing immense problems for those who use this stretch. We hope that the authority will promptly address the budget and any other issues to complete the project as soon as possible,” said Deepak Mittal, a daily commuter.