In order to decongest traffic on the Gurgaon-Mehwat State Highway, the work of widening the 95-kilometre stretch has begun. With a budget of Rs 348-crore, the project is expected to be completed by July 2010. The first seven kilometres of the stretch is under HUDA after which the 89-kilometre road till Haryana-Rajasthan border will be repaired by the Haryana State Road Development Corporation (HSRDC). The two-lane road is being widened to four uptill Nuh with a 7.5-metre carriageway on both sides. The road from Nuh till Mehwat will be widened to a 10-metre width and double lanes. “The highway has heavy traffic movement, hence it was decided to upgrade it on the model of National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) where the work will be reviewed at regular intervals by consultants,” explained Ramesh Kumar Rathi, the project director with HSRDC.PNC Infratech, a private construction company from Agra, has been assigned the contract of rebuilding the state highway under supervision by HSRDC engineers. The project was assigned by the NCR Planning Board which has given 75 per cent of the total cost incurred. The remaining 25 per cent is the state’s share, said District Commissioner Deepti Umashankar.“The machinery for the work is being imported. We have already paid the forest department Rs 10 crore for afforestation as trees will be cut during the reconstruction work. Another Rs six crore have been paid to the Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitaran Nigam (DHBVN) for shifting transmission lines and another Rs three crore has been given to the Public Health Department for shifting public conveniences,” explained Rathi.However, poor lighting and the absence of foot-overbridges or subways might pose a hindrance to the smooth movement of traffic. A sceptical Ramesh Yadav of Sohna village said, “We’ve heard the road will be widened till the border area which will surely come as a relief. However, since the traffic will move faster, most being trucks, the danger of accidents while crossing the widened stretch is bound to increase.”Gangu Panwari, who has a shop in Badshahpur, said, “On an average, one to three accidents take place on this stretch of the road on a weekly basis. With fast and thick traffic, the number of mishaps might increase. There is need for proper pedestrian crossing near the villages and better street lighting to reduce risks.”Asked what measures the HSRDC was taking to ensure the safety of pedestrians, Rathi said street lighting and building of intersections and footoverbridges were matters to be dealt by the local councils.
