Construction of the three underpasses, proposed to streamline traffic movement in different parts of the city, seems to have hit a roadblock with the Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon and the Haryana Urban Development Authority failing to reach a consensus over the cost sharing of the underpasses.
Four underpasses were proposed at different locations — HUDA City Centre, Subhash Chowk, Fazilpur Jharsa and Atul Kataria Chowk — and the matter was discussed at the recent meeting of the task force. But, no consensus could be reached on whether the MCG or the HUDA would bear the construction cost and no decision could be made, said an MCG source. The underpasses, said an official, were conceived to ensure better traffic flow in some of the most congested and densely populated parts of the millennium city.
In fact, the MCG has already carried out a survey for an underpass each at Atul Kataria Chowk and Subhash Chowk. “Both agencies are trading charges that the underpasses would only cater to the population living in the respective areas and mostly those staying in new Gurgaon. The only underpass that had got the permission is to come up at Atul Kataria Chowk,” said the source.
The proposed Atul Kataria Chowk — from Sheetla Mata Road to Signature Towers — would cost around Rs.40 crore and the MCG would bear the cost for the entire project.
A HUDA official said that though all the three stalled projects fall on the other side of the highway, it was not correct to say that only those staying in New Gurgaon would be benefitted. “All and sundry stand to benefit from these underpasses and will use them. We are likely to hold more task force meetings in the days to come and hope to find some solution to the problem,” the official said.
MCG commissioner Vikas Gupta could not be reached for his comments despite repeated attempts.