Indore: Plagued by delays, the Pipliyahana Flyover will only be ready by next year said Indore Development Authority officials on Sunday. The project is more than a year behind schedule and now due to Covid-19 crisis there is an acute labour shortage. Also, some workers were found Covid positive, which is adding to the delay.
IDA project engineer, Chandrashekar Pamecha said 80 per cent of the work is complete and construction of one side of the flyover is complete, and small cosmetic work remains to be completed.
He said, "Due to Covid-19 crisis and lockdown, most labourers went home and there is a shortage of labourers. Also, we do not have enough skilled workers to operate heavy machinery. On top of that there was panic when some workers tested Covid positive and work had to be stopped.
One of the engineers at the site said they would need another six months to complete the project. "The slab work is done, now a garden remains to be developed below the flyover and the land has to be levelled. Also the flyover has to be painted," the engineer said who did not want to be named.
Five major factors affected the delay of the project:
1. Location
According to IDA officials, the construction of the flyover is near Pipliyahana Lake where soil condition is such that a deeper foundation had to be dug for the flyover.
2. Season
“The project was started in the monsoon season and because of the rains the civil work got affected, hence the delay occured”, said an official.
3. Permission
Getting permission to shift trees from the middle of the road took time. There were delays due to shifting of MPEB grid and due to the Narmada pipeline that had to be passed through the construction site.
4. Lockdown
Due to lockdown amid Covid-19 many labourers went home and did not come back.
Project: Pipliyahana Flyover
IDA is constructing a six-lane flyover (three-lane each side) along Ring Road at Pipliyahana square whose foundation stone was laid by former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on April 25, 2018. The project is to be built at a cost of Rs 36 crore. The motive behind the project is to reduce traffic congestion around Pipliyahana square where 1.05 lakh vehicles pass through every month. The Pipliyahana Bridge is a 2 arm, 6-lane flyover. It will be 750- metre long and 24-metre wide. Work on the bridge started in April 2018 and it was expected to be completed within 18 months.
