By Praveen Dwivedi

New Delhi, Jun 13 (IANS): The Phase III of the Barapullah elevated corridor project connecting Mayur Vihar-1 to Sarai Kale Khan, which has already faced land acquisition obstacles, is now faced with another hurdle.

The private agency (contractor) developing the project has now filed a case of arbitration, saying the delay in land acquisition between the landowners and the Delhi government has caused a loss to the tune of around Rs 310 crore, a source associated with the project told IANS.

"The contractor has filed a case of arbitration, saying the delay in the acquisition of land required to complete the project has resulted in a loss of around Rs 310 crore since 2015, when the work for the project had started. The project has already been delayed and several deadlines have been extended.

"Another obstacle at this stage may cause further delay in the project. Now the development of the project will depend on how soon this case is resolved between the PWD (Public Works Department) and the contractor," the source associated with the project said on condition of anonymity.

The Barapullah Phase III elevated corridor project, which is being carried out by the PWD under the Delhi government through a private construction firm, was started in 2015. The project has already missed three deadlines in 2017, 2018 and 2020.

The hired agency had restarted construction work two months back for the redevelopment of a well in the middle of Yamuna river. However, the fresh dispute (between the PWD and the contractor) over money has again halted the work.

Sources said that the dispute between the PWD and the hired agency began after a well, which was dug for setting pillars, collapsed due to heavy rains last year.

The agency had then demanded Rs 2 crore from the PWD for it. However, the parties had reached an agreement following which redevelopment of the well was started in March this year.

However, after the latest dispute, the work has again been put on hold.

"The well has completely collapsed and needs to be redeveloped again from its foundation," said the same source.

The PWD needed to acquire two plots measuring 500-metre and 250-metre to erect pillars for the fully elevated corridor, of which 180-metre has been acquired and the remaining around 670-metre is yet to be acquired, IANS had reported on March 3 this year.

Sources said that the landowners were ready to sell their land, but the legalities under the Land Acquisition Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 had put a spanner in the works.

Sources also confirmed that though the process was started two years back, both the parties (Delhi government and individual landowners) are yet to reach any final agreement.

Commenting on the land acquisition issue, the Delhi government had said earlier that it has succeeded in acquiring some lands from the individual landowners on the Yamuna floodplain and the process for the acquisition of the remaining parts of the land was underway.

Replying to a query as to when the stretch between Sarai Kale Khan and Mayur Vihar-1 will be connected, an official associated with the construction agency said: "The delay has not occurred from the agency side, but from the government side. Around 180-metre land was acquired on the Mayur Vihar-1 side, and pillars were constructed."

It is expected that once the project is completed, it will provide a signal-free stretch to the commuters moving from East to South Delhi, who will be able to make the journey in just 20 minutes.

The elevated corridor was planned in three phases. The first phase was constructed in 2010 during the Commonwealth Games, connecting Sarai Kale Khan to Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.

The second phase, which is also under construction, connects the stadium to INA Market, while Phase III will connect Mayur Vihar Phase-I to Sarai Kale Khan.

According to sources in the PWD, the project, which was initially supposed to be completed by October 2017, has already missed several deadlines.

The repeated delays in the project have risen to its estimated cost from Rs 1,000 crore to Rs 1,288.93 crore.