Nagpur: MahaMetro has initiated the process to acquire more than 3, 100sqm of additional land, including a portion of Kasturchand Park (KP), for the long-pending realignment of Sadar flyover, even as the project’s cost has more than doubled from originally sanctioned 34 crore to 82 crore. The revised estimate is awaiting final approval from the competent authority, while officials said the land acquisition process has already begun to expedite execution once statutory clearances are in place.Senior MahaMetro officials confirmed that the agency has written to the administration seeking acquisition of 3, 117sqm required for the new alignment. Of this, 2, 863sqm is govt land, including portions of Kasturchand Park and Vasantrao Naik Govt Institute of Arts and Social Sciences campus, while 264sqm belongs to a petrol pump at RBI Square.Built by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) at a cost of 219 crore, the 3.96-km Y-shaped Sadar flyover was inaugurated in January 2020. However, its redesign was ordered after union minister Nitin Gadkari criticised the faulty landing last year giving the realigning design responsibility to MahaMetro, which has remained a major traffic bottleneck since the flyover became operational. Under the revised design, the existing entry to the flyover from the Mankapur side will remain unchanged. However, instead of descending near the Kasturchand Park Metro station, the flyover will continue from Liberty Talkies towards NIT building and LIC Square before passing beneath the Metro viaduct. It will then traverse a section of Kasturchand Park, cross RBI Square and finally descend beyond the petrol pump on Morris College Road.The proposed realignment will be around 850 metres long, including a 270 metre elevated stretch through Kasturchand Park supported by three piers. Officials clarified the existing landing will not be dismantled. It will continue to cater to vehicles heading towards Mankapur, while traffic approaching from Katol Road and Chhindwara Road will use the newly constructed landing beyond RBI Square.As a temporary measure, vehicles travelling from RBI Square towards LIC Square are prohibited from using the direct route and are diverted via Residency Road, where they take a U-turn near NIT office before proceeding towards LIC Square.Officials said the alignment has now been frozen and with land acquisition process underway and financial approval in its final stage, the project has entered last pre-construction phase. Civil works are expected to commence after revised cost receives sanction and all statutory approvals are obtained.
