GMDA asks NHAI to expedite permission for laying water pipeline under Dwarka expressway

GMDA officials said that they have submitted all details and plans to the highway authority seeking permission to resume the work, which was stopped last month after the Dwarka expressway witnessed road subsidence at two locations.

The Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) has asked the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to expedite permission for laying an underground master pipeline under Dwarka expressway, which would ensure water supply in Sector 58 to Sector 80, which at present faces extensive water shortage during summers, said officials on Thursday.

Workers laying a master water pipeline under Dwarka expressway. (Parveen Kumar/HT)

GMDA officials said that they have submitted all details and plans to the highway authority seeking permission to resume the work, which was stopped last month after the Dwarka expressway witnessed road subsidence at two locations. The authority was laying two segments of pipelines each of 340 mm under the Central Peripheral Road (CPR), which is part of Dwarka expressway as it will ensure that the entire master pipeline from Chandu Budhera to Sector 72 water boosting station is completed.

According to the GMDA official, the cost of this project, to lay a 2,000 mm pipeline is ₹8.5 crore. This project will help in completing the entire master pipeline from Chandu Budhera water treatment plant to Sector 72 boosting station thus ensuring adequate water supply across sector 58 to sector 80.

“The highway authority was informed about the work and all technical details were shared in June and July when the work was allotted. We started the work in July but last month the work was stopped by the highway authority as there were two incidents in which the road witnessed cave-in. We got the road repaired as per the directions of the NHAI but the work remains stuck as the highway authority has not given us permission to resume work,” said a senior GMDA official.

GMDA officials said that the 1,600 mm master pipeline was originally laid by Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) in 2012, running from Chandu Budhera to Dhankot, then along the Dwarka Expressway and CPR to the Sector 72 station. However, officials said that during realignment of the road by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), the entire pipeline was laid again except for a 300 metres stretch near CPR in Sector 36, where it could not be laid due to land issues.

“The underground pipes are being laid to fix this missing link. Due to lack of connectivity our water infrastructure laid from Sector 58 to Sector 80 is lying defunct including the Sector 72 boosting station. The authority has spent over ₹500 crore on this infrastructure and it will become functional once the entire pipe line gets connected,” said the GMDA official.

When asked about the matter, a senior NHAI official said that the pipeline work has been stopped as the GMDA has not taken permission from the authority to lay the pipeline underneath Dwarka expressway.

“There were two incidents of road cave-ins while this work was being carried out and it posed safety issues for the expressway. We have now asked the GMDA to share the design and details of the entire work which will be evaluated by the NHAI technical experts. The GMDA has to ensure that all safety measures are implemented while laying the pipeline,” he said.