'Work on Rs 5,763 cr Eastern Peripheral Eway on full swing'

The Rs 5,763 crore Eastern Peripheral Expressway project to decongest Delhi is on fast-track to completion in about "400 days" to become India's first 135 km green road to be lit entirely by solar panels and have advanced traffic system.
The project, which commenced in May, will consume a million tonnes of flyash from NTPC's various thermal plants to utilise waste and minimise pollution.
On completion, the greenfield project that had hit several road blocks and saw laying of its foundation by Prime Minster Narendra Modi in November last year, will divert around 2 lakh vehicles passing through the national capital daily to this bypass, curtailing pollution.

"I expect this project to be completed by August next year. Apart from being access-controlled, this will have the best automatic traffic management system, land-scaping, way side amenities etc. This is going to be a boon for Delhi. This will set the pace and the path for many such expressway projects which are greenfield in nature all across the country," NHAI Chairman Raghav Chandra told PTI.
Chandra, who inspected the project sites in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, said all 5 contractors on 6 packages of the project are working day and night giving confidence to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) that the project will be completed much ahead of the Supreme Court deadline that is July 2018.

"However, we hope to complete the project in about 400 days," he said.

The expressway passes through Sonipat, Bagpat, Ghaziabad, Gautam Budh Nagar, Faridabad and Palwal in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, and the proposed alignment crosses river Yamuna at Khurrampur/Khata in UP and Faizpur Khadar in Haryana and crosses the river Hindon.
Chandra further said: "We require huge quantity of flyash and were lifting the same from NTPC's Dadri, Badarpur and Panipat thermal plants. Earlier we were permitted to take flyash only between 10 am to 5 pm but given the massive requirement, I had a talk with NTPC Chairman and now we are lifting flyash day and night."

The NHAI Chief said earlier there was resistance from farmers over land and other issues which have been solved and they are being given higher compensation.
The Supreme Court has directed police chiefs of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana to provide security for expeditious completion of the project in light of attempts by miscreants and vested interests obstructing the work.
"Director Generals of Police, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana have been extending full cooperation and our work is in full swing," Chandra said.