Uttarakhand Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ has written to his UP counterpart Mayawati, requesting for handing over 18 hectares land to National Highway Authority of India to facilitate widening of the nine-kilometre stretch of Delhi-Dehradun corridor. Although the land is in Uttarakhand, it is UP government’s property.
The NHAI is widening 114-km stretch of Delhi-Dehradun corridor to four lanes to improve access to the hill stations and pilgrim centres in Uttarakhand. The project will cost Rs 1,400 crore.
Over 93 kilometre of the corridor falls in Uttarakhand and 21 kilometres in UP. The land in question is near Har Ki Paudi in Haridwar and is in possession of the UP Irrigation Department.
In a meeting in November 2009, the Mayawati had reportedly assured Pokhriyal for providing the land to NHAI but more than one year has passed and no progress has been made on the issue.
In his letter, Pokhriyal has said that the unavailability of land was delaying the project and the widening of Muzaffarnagar-Haridwar-Dehradun (NH-58) was important for the development of Uttarakhand, as it connects the state with the national capital, he has said.
The NHAI has already signed an agreement with Era Sibmost for the execution of the project, but in the absence of land the work has not started.
Officials said that Era Sibmost had started work on other stretches in September 2010.
The UP Irrigation Department has its office at Har Ki Paudi and it maintains the Upper Ganga Canal from there.
An official of the department, however, said: “The existing highway is just about 55 metres away from the canal. The NHAI could be given land to widen the highway by 17 metres, but we will need the rest of the land for maintenance of the newly upgraded canal and its extension in future. A report in this regard has already been sent to officials in Lucknow.”
“After the meeting of CMs of both states, a meeting of Chief Secretaries were also held on this issue and the UP government had given the assurance. But the order for hand over of the land was not issued. We have requested the Uttarakhand CM to pursue the matter with UP government,” said HC Arora, NHAI Consultant in Uttarakhand.
The NHAI is widening 114-km stretch of Delhi-Dehradun corridor to four lanes to improve access to the hill stations and pilgrim centres in Uttarakhand. The project will cost Rs 1,400 crore.
Over 93 kilometre of the corridor falls in Uttarakhand and 21 kilometres in UP. The land in question is near Har Ki Paudi in Haridwar and is in possession of the UP Irrigation Department.
In a meeting in November 2009, the Mayawati had reportedly assured Pokhriyal for providing the land to NHAI but more than one year has passed and no progress has been made on the issue.
In his letter, Pokhriyal has said that the unavailability of land was delaying the project and the widening of Muzaffarnagar-Haridwar-Dehradun (NH-58) was important for the development of Uttarakhand, as it connects the state with the national capital, he has said.
The NHAI has already signed an agreement with Era Sibmost for the execution of the project, but in the absence of land the work has not started.
Officials said that Era Sibmost had started work on other stretches in September 2010.
The UP Irrigation Department has its office at Har Ki Paudi and it maintains the Upper Ganga Canal from there.
An official of the department, however, said: “The existing highway is just about 55 metres away from the canal. The NHAI could be given land to widen the highway by 17 metres, but we will need the rest of the land for maintenance of the newly upgraded canal and its extension in future. A report in this regard has already been sent to officials in Lucknow.”
“After the meeting of CMs of both states, a meeting of Chief Secretaries were also held on this issue and the UP government had given the assurance. But the order for hand over of the land was not issued. We have requested the Uttarakhand CM to pursue the matter with UP government,” said HC Arora, NHAI Consultant in Uttarakhand.
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