Gurgaon: More than two years after the work was awarded, a 700-metre road connecting sectors 109 and 112 remains incomplete, with GMDA terminating the contractor over delays and failure to meet construction specifications. The Rs 6.1-crore project, which was supposed to be completed within a year, is only 60-70% complete, leaving residents waiting for an alternative connectivity route in the area.The work was allotted in Oct 2024, but the contractor failed to meet the deadline despite being granted an extension. The termination was approved this month after the agency failed to execute the work as per the prescribed standards, officials said. GMDA is now engaging another agency to complete the remaining work, estimated to cost around Rs 3.8 crore, with an eight-month deadline.Conceptualised in 2022, the road is intended to provide an alternative route for residents of sectors 109 and 112 and nearby residential societies. The area, located close to the Delhi-Gurgaon border and the Dwarka Expressway, has several residential and commercial establishments, as well as places of worship, including temples, churches and a gurdwara. The road project also includes footpaths and a drainage network.While the groundwork, including the granular sub-base (GSB) and wet mix macadam (WMM) layers, has been completed, the bituminous surface — the final layer that makes the road usable for traffic — remains largely pending.Explaining the reasons for the termination, a GMDA official said the contractor did not have the machinery required to carry out the work as per the specifications laid down in the agreement.“The contractor had started the bituminous work, but it was not being carried out as per the prescribed specifications. We stopped the work and asked the agency to arrange the required machinery and follow the terms of the agreement. However, it could not meet the requirements,” the official said.The official said the agency had used a drum-mix plant instead of the batch-mix plant required under the specifications. This technical shortcoming, along with delays in execution, affected the project’s progress. Despite being given additional time, the contractor failed to complete the work as required, prompting GMDA to terminate the contract.The remaining work includes laying the bituminous road surface, developing footpaths and completing pending drainage work. GMDA has invited fresh bids for the balance work, estimated at Rs 3.8 crore, and the new agency will have eight months to complete it.Residents said the delay had affected daily commuting and left the unfinished stretch vulnerable to dust pollution, with little visible effort to control dust at the site.“The road was supposed to be completed last year, but it still hasn’t been finished. Only some base was done on the stretch, while the rest of the work remains incomplete. We had raised the issue with GMDA officials and requested them to complete the work on time. We were assured that it would be done, but the contractor failed to execute the work properly. Residents are facing difficulties while commuting, and the incomplete road has also become a source of dust pollution. There has been little visible effort to control dust at the site,” said Sunny Daultabad, convener of the Dwarka Expressway Gurugram Development Association.
