NH-24 gets Delhi HC go-ahead for Widening from Delhi-UP Border to Dasna

Removing the remaining bottlenecks in widening of NH-24, Delhi High Court has given the go-ahead to National Highway Authority of India to award the execution of work on Delhi-UP border to Dasna stretch of the highway.

This stretch is said to be the most congested of all the stretches of the highway that connects Delhi and Uttar Pradesh and runs through Ghaziabad, Noida and Dasna. The portion between Delhi-UP border and Dasna is to be expanded to 14-lanes.

The length of the concerned stretch is 19.3 km for which the process of approval from NHAI board, an inter-ministerial body, has started. Sources in the highways authority said that they will approach NHAI board with the court’s order copy, rather than waiting for the board to take up the matter in its formal meeting.

Due to disqualification of one of the bidders during technical bidding process, the matter reached Delhi High Court, which as a result delayed the work on the stretch. But, things are sorted now, and execution of work will take place on the stretch which will pass through popular areas such as Indirapuram, Noida-62 and Wave City.

Work is in full swing on other two sections of the highway project, which is Nizamuddin to Delhi-UP border and Dasna to Hapur.

NHAI officials also clarified that land for Delhi-UP Border to Dasna is available with them and tree cutting and clearing of adjoining lanes are almost complete. The project is being executed through PPP.

December 2018 has been set as the deadline for completion of the project by the central government. NHAI is also hopeful of meeting the deadline for the two stretches, where the work is in full swing.

The highway stretch which is taken up for widening starts from Delhi and passes through Noida, Ghaziabad, Wave City on NH24, Dasna and Hapur. The next phase will be built on a new alignment from Dasna to Meerut—a six-lane stretch joining Meerut bypass, hence connecting Delhi to Meerut which is named as Delhi-Meerut Expressway.