Phase 5 of the Delhi-Meerut Expressway is expected to take another six months to complete. This means Phase 5 is behind schedule. The work of this phase was to be completed by December this year, but it did not happen. This is due to repeated delays due to farmers’ protests and compensation disputes, although work on the project had started several years ago. Now for the fourth time the date of completion of Phase 5 has been extended.
NHAI officials say that most of the issues have been resolved and the pace of work has increased. Measurement of land of some farmers is still pending, which will be completed soon. This phase is expected to be completed by April next year. The special thing about Phase 5 is that Delhi-Meerut Expressway will connect with Ganga Expressway in Meerut. With this, people from Delhi, Ghaziabad, Noida and surrounding districts will easily be able to go directly to Prayagraj using Ganga Expressway. This is expected to provide relief to thousands of people commuting daily.
Construction work has been stalled for several months
It is learned that about 80 percent work of this phase has been completed. This stretch passes through villages like Shakarpur, Narhaida, Dhakuli, Salempur, Chandsara, Khanpur, Nagalapattu, Chudiyala, Talheta and Zainuddinpur. Initially it was targeted to be completed in December 2023, but due to farmers’ protests, the construction was halted for several months. After this, there was a plan to complete the work by 2024, but the dispute over compensation between Ghaziabad and Meerut could not be resolved.
About 10 km road completed
The construction agency claims that till now 10 big and 12 small underpasses, 35 culverts and about 10 km of road have been completed. Work is going on on the remaining 4.6 km. Overall, this phase is 14.6 km long, which includes 9.13 km in Meerut and 5.47 km in Ghaziabad. This phase will pass through seven villages of Meerut and three villages of Ghaziabad. NHAI Project Director Arvind Kumar says that the work is going on at a fast pace and efforts are being made to complete it within the stipulated time. He claims that once completed, this phase will make the journey easier and faster, which will provide a lot of relief to the people.
