West Asia war ripples in Delhi: Barapullah Phase 3 hit as bitumen prices soar

Bitumen, derived from crude oil, is mainly used as a binder in road construction, where it holds together materials like sand, gravel, and crushed stone to form asphalt. Waterproof, adhesive, and flexible, it helps roads withstand traffic load and weather conditions.

A senior official in the PWD said the issue will be resolved in the next three-four months. “The war is over but its impact will be felt for at least the next few months.”

Regarding the Barapullah Phase III project, another PWD official said, “We received 20 tonnes of bitumen yesterday, which was used today. Now, work will resume when the next batch arrives… Fifteen days ago, work had to be completely stopped due to non availability of bitumen…”

“We are trying to complete the project on time and  manage the situation with available resources. Work is going on but not as per the desired speed… If regular supply of bitumen is not resumed, the deadline to complete the project might get delayed,” the official further said.

The 3.5-km long stretch, which is an extension of already operational Barapullah Phase I and II, was supposed to be completed in 2017 but faced delays due to Covid-19 pandemic, land acquisition problems and permission for felling trees, among others. The project resumed last year following the intervention of BJP government in Delhi. While 90% of the work is complete – the revised deadline to complete the project was June – officials said the rise in bitumen prices might lead to cost escalation.

The original approved cost of the project, Rs 1,260.63 crore has already risen to Rs 1,635.03 crore.

Meanwhile, other key PWD projects that have been impacted due to rise in bitumen prices include strengthening of 153 stretches spread across 400 km and repair of 128 stretches. Some of the stretches are Bipin Chadrapal Marg to CR Park police station, Outer Ring Road to Ringh, Africa Avenue Marg, Mathura Road, Ashram and the area near ISBT Kashmere Gate.

Sudeer Nimesh, a contractor working on road strengthening projects in the Trans-Yamuna area like Sonia Vihar, said, “…80% of the work has slowed down. The deadline to complete the repair work was March 31 but it could not be done due to the sharp rise in bitumen prices.” Another contractor said, “Earlier, the price of 1 kg of bitumen was Rs 40, since March, it is Rs 65.”

Of the 400 km approved for road strengthening and repair, work on only 60 km have been completed. “The remaining 340 km was to be completed by March 31. However, witnessing the challenges, the PWD has decided to revise the deadline for these projects to July 31,” said an official, adding that a proposal in this regard has been sent to the Cabinet for its approval.

According to contractors, the situation has worsened for them especially those working on road repairing and maintenance with the government recently removing the arbitration clause from road repairing and strengthening projects from its general conditions of a contract to reduce the losses incurred and stop cost price escalation. “The government has a set consumer index price for construction materials… Due to this, the contractors are now facing a problem,” said one.