Gurgaon: National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has renewed its push to hand over the operation and maintenance of 20 structures along Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway to GMDA, proposing a joint inspection to assess their condition and identify repair and rectification work required before the transfer.The move follows directions issued in April by the secretary, ministry of road transport and highways, asking NHAI to proceed with the handover. NHAI has now nominated its site engineer, a representative of the supervision consultant and an engineer for the inspection, and asked GMDA to nominate an officer from its engineering wing.The structures proposed for transfer include six underpasses, 10 foot overbridges, two pedestrian subways and two non-motorised transport (NMT) passages. NHAI has said the facilities will be handed over after one-time improvement and rectification works.The six underpasses are at Ambience Mall, IFFCO Chowk, Signature Towers, Rajiv Chowk, Medanta Hospital and Hero Honda Chowk. The list also includes foot overbridges at several locations along the expressway, besides subways and NMT facilities at IFFCO Chowk and Rajiv Chowk.The proposed transfer follows years of discussions between the two agencies over who should maintain the facilities. The matter has been discussed at several levels, including meetings involving Haryana’s chief secretary and the NHAI chairman.NHAI has maintained that the facilities were built primarily for local traffic and were intended to be maintained eventually by the local authority. It has also argued that since no user fee is charged, their maintenance should be handled by the local civic agency.NHAI has also cited overlapping jurisdictions as a reason for seeking a single agency to maintain the facilities. Most roads connecting the expressway and the surrounding road network fall under local authorities, GMDA in this case, while some stretches between NHAI’s infrastructure and GMDA-maintained roads create overlapping jurisdictions.An NHAI official said this can create problems during waterlogging or when engineering work is required around these structures. “If water accumulates on a road or at an underpass, there can be confusion over which agency is responsible, as the adjoining stretches may fall under different jurisdictions. If the entire section is maintained by one local authority, it will be easier to undertake drainage improvements and other engineering works and ensure better maintenance,” the official said.The issue came into focus during this year’s monsoon when the Medanta and IFFCO Chowk underpasses were shut following waterlogging, highlighting maintenance and drainage challenges at some of the facilities proposed for transfer.Several pedestrian crossing facilities along the expressway have remained poorly maintained over the years. Escalators at foot overbridges at IFFCO Chowk, Rajiv Chowk and Signature Towers have remained non-functional for extended periods, forcing pedestrians to use staircases or cross roads at surface level. The NMT facility at Rajiv Chowk has also remained non-functional due to recurring waterlogging and illegal occupation, while the facility at IFFCO Chowk has not been maintained for years.GMDA has so far remained non-committal on taking over the structures. An authority official said the proposal would be examined in accordance with the state govt’s directions. “If there is a proposal, then it will be examined whether these structures can be taken over, as these are part of the national highway. The decision will be taken on the directions of the govt and the CEO,” the official said.GMDA had earlier been reluctant to assume maintenance responsibility, citing deficiencies in some structures. The proposed joint inspection is expected to identify such deficiencies and determine the improvement work required before the handover.
