Gurgaon: Pending utility shifting and other obstructions along the upcoming metro alignment are to be cleared by Nov. NHAI, DHBVN and HVPNL have been instructed to fast-track their operations and hand over a clear 2.2-km corridor for the metro corporation to commence construction. The project now faces PMO-level monitoring.On Saturday, D Thara, secretary, department of capital development, ministry of housing and urban affairs and chairperson of GMRL, along with managing director Chander Shekhar Khare, inspected key locations of the metro project to review the progress of ongoing works.The direction is particularly important for the stretch between Hero Honda Chowk and Umang Bhardwaj Chowk, which is part of phase I of the metro corridor, where several utility-related works are pending.NHAI has been undertaking the redevelopment of the 2.2-km stretch as a deposit work of GMDA. However, pending utility shifting has become a major bottleneck for the clearance of metro construction. NHAI has to shift feeder lines, while a 1,600-mm water pipeline and other utilities are yet to be relocated. HVPNL has to shift 66-KV overhead lines. DHBVN has to shift 17 feeders and dismantle existing lines. NHAI also has to complete the substation work and commission it.GMRL chairperson, however, set the timeline for completing all the pending utilities by Nov. Earlier, GMRL raised the issue of delayed clearance of ROW hampering the progress of metro construction.Several structures also remain to be cleared along the alignment. Four buildings in Saraswati Enclave are affecting metro works in Sector 10, while two buildings are affecting the proposed Sector 10 metro station. Four buildings or shops affecting the proposed Sector 37 station and encroachments along the ROW before Basai Chowk also need to be removed.“We have not been able to start work on the 2.2-km stretch because utility shifting is pending. A November deadline has been fixed to clear the right of way. The project is being monitored at PMO level, and strict timelines have been set for completing the pending works,” a GMRL official said.Thara also directed GMRL to expedite the tendering process for the construction of Phase II of the metro corridor between Sector 9 and Cyber City.According to GMRL, the tender for the construction of phase-II, estimated at around Rs 1,408 crore, has been sent to Haryana govt for approval. “Tender documents are being prepared for the procurement of rolling stock. Meanwhile, technical evaluation is currently underway for metro depot construction,” said the senior official of GMRL.Meanwhile, construction on Phase 1 — from Millennium City Centre to Sector 9 — is progressing gradually, with GMRL planning to launch U-girders by the end of this month.Phase-I — 15.3 km long — includes a spur to Dwarka Expressway and is scheduled for completion in 2028 at a cost of Rs 1,277 crore. This stretch will have 14 elevated stations — Millennium City Centre, Sector 45, Cyber Park, Sector 47, Subhash Chowk, Sector 48, Sector 33, Hero Honda Chowk, Udyog Vihar 6, Sector 10, Sector 37, Basai and Sector 9 — along with a spur branching out from Basai to Sector 101 on Dwarka Expressway.
