The Outer Ring Road whose foundation stone was laid in 2016 witnessed only 35% completion of its construction work in 2019. The contractors kept changing with everyone promising to give momentum to the work. But, it made no progress. It is September 2021. Almost five years ago the foundation stone for Outer Ring Road starting from Jamtha reaching Gondkhairi and then to Kamptee-Kanhan bypass was laid. As per the schedule, the road should have been completed by May 2019. The project has missed the deadline. The work is going on at a snail’s pace. ‘The Hitavada’ Correspondent has been consistently visiting the site since 2019. The volume of work completed in 2019 is the same now also. The situation has not changed. The Rs 1,170 crore project of constructing 64 km road, taken up by National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) with its share of 40% while the contractor was supposed to borrow 60% from the banks. The NHAI would be paying that 60% amount in installments.

 

 

 

Mumbai Entry Point Limited (MEPL), a company owned by Jayant Mhaiskar received the contract for the project. Work was started in two packages. Work contract of construction of both packages were given to MEPL of Jayant Mhaiskar. Somehow, one Shiwalik company and others started looking after the work of Package-II. Package-II work is moving with pace. When delegation of contractors met MEPL officer of Package-II, he clearly told them that money was receiving faster for Package-II but not for package-I. Contractors have stalled the work due to pendency of payments. With MEPL locking its office, the work of outer ring road became a non-starter. MEPL failed to complete the project so it was given to Shiwalik Constructions. Shiwalik too could not move inch forward and recently the project was handed over to Bansal Constructions Pvt Ltd of Bhopal. The project came into existence with a thought that it would reduce inconvenience of the truckers and citizens as well. The work has not moved an inch forward for the last 10 months. Initially, at the start of the project, the speed was quite ok. During the same period some work was completed. After that it got slowed down. Very few kilometers of road got concretisation, at some places the bolders are lying without getting crushed, the PQC machines are in a stranded state. N L Yewatkar, Project Director of NHAI while talking to ‘The Hitavada’ said, “Some banking procedure is going on.

 

According to the agreement, the project was handed over to the contractor company that would complete the project in time, it seems. NHAI did leave any stone unturned as far as payment part is concerned.” Prakash Wanjari, a Congress volunteer has been working on this project as one of the sub-contractors. His payment was not given for several months by MEPL. He had then led the delegations of the people from whom MEPL had taken material to MEPL office, to get the payments but they too got tired. Due to non-payment by MEPL, the petty contractors involved in providing various materials had to stop work. Wanjari said, “Why this project is not being moving is a million dollar question. It seems the project would never get completed. Had this project completed in 2019 it would have eased the traffic congestion as thought of. But the situation on the road is very different. The work was at standstill. Very few kilometers of road got concretisation, at some places the boulders are lying without getting crushed.