https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/dehradun/rajaji-jumbo-corridor-was-awarded-thrice-to-same-firm/articleshowprint/67605826.cms

DEHRADUN: The elephant underpass in Rajaji National Park (RNP) that has been hanging for nine years was awarded thrice to the same defaulting firm.

The 36.5-km national highway project was supposed to be completed in two years’ time. Sources told TOI that a Noida-based firm was awarded the project thrice in 2011, 2013 and 2015, but it failed to execute the work citing “fund shortage”.

Finally, in May last year, the project was shelved.

Irked by the failure of National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) to comply with a Supreme Court directive to construct the elephant corridor even after nine years, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had on Friday asked NHAI submit Rs 2 crore as ‘performance guarantee’ to the environment ministry within a month.

The six-metre-high and 721-metre-long elephant underpass at Chilla Motichur Corridor, which is a part of the four-laning of Haridwar-Dehradun section of NH-58 and NH-72 that passes through RNP, will ensure that the eastern side of RNP will get connected with western side resulting into free movement of wildlife.

An NGT bench headed by Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel had observed that wildlife, biodiversity and environment of the western side of RNP was in danger due to the red-tape attitude of NHAI.

The letter of agreement between the firm and NHAI was finalised in November 2011 for project completion in 730 days (October 31, 2013). A senior NHAI officer said, “When the firm couldn’t meet the deadline, a ‘cure period notice’ was signed in 2014. Following which, the company was kept under watch in 2014 and progress on the project was monitored. Then again in September 2016, the firm was granted extension but the contract was terminated soon after.”

However, lenders (consortium of banks) of the firm approached the Centre to once again consider their plea of completing the project as it had already completed half the work. They added that due to ‘fund shortage,’ the firm couldn’t complete the entire work.

The NHAI had submitted to NGT, a copy of which is with TOI that the firm “completely failed in their performance and could not adhere to the targets provided”.

At present, the entire project has been divided into two parts and has been given to two firms — Uttar Pradesh Bridge Corporation and Delhi-based Atlas —for completion by January 2020.

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