News: Work on Sohna elevated road to remain suspended till safety measures are adopted: NHAI-01-09-2020
https://www.hindustantimes.com/gurugram/work-on-sohna-elevated-road-to-remain-suspended-till-safety-measures-are-adopted-nhai/story-EJVAhvlaAkLhA6Ac9RAKbM.html
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on Tuesday said that work on Sohna elevated road project will remain suspended till adequate safety measures are taken on the entire project site. The authority has asked the contractor to ensure seamless barricading, covering the construction area, up to one-third of the height of the structure. It has also recommended the deployment of more security guards and traffic marshals. NHAI officials said that despite directions being issued last week, adequate measures have not been taken.
The work on Sohna elevated road project was temporarily suspended by the authority last Tuesday, following the collapse of a span between pier 10 and pier 11 on August 22. The authority has also formed a high-level technical committee, which is probing the incident.
Ashok Sharma, NHAI project director, on Tuesday said that work will continue to remain suspended till seamless barricading is put up at the entire project site and other safety measures are taken. Further, the contractor, Oriental Engineering, will continue to face a penalty of ₹50,000 per day. “The seamless barricading has not happened and the height of barricading in areas where construction work is being carried out has not been raised to one-third of the structure’s height,” said Sharma.
He further said that number of traffic marshals deployed at the site need to be increased to ensure safe movement of vehicles along the road. “The measures taken by the contractor are not satisfactory. Therefore, till an independent engineer doesn’t submit his report and verifies that requisite measures have been taken, the work will not be allowed to restart,” he said.
Members of the technical team that visited the site last Thursday also said that the contractor will not get any additional time on account of the delay caused by the accident.
The 21.66 km-long Sohna road project has two parts — an underpass and an elevated road from Subash Chowk to a point beyond Badshahpur. The second part comprises the expansion of12.72-km road from Badshahpur to Sohna and will involve the construction of flyovers and underpasses at major crossings to ensure smooth movement of vehicles on the entire stretch.
The deadline for both these projects is July, 2021. A senior official of Oriental Engineering said that they have taken all measures for barricading and improving safety and security of commuters and workers at the site.”Additional measures as per NHAI directions have been taken and more are in the offing. We hope that in next couple of days we will get permission to resume work,” he said on the condition of anonymity.
