The Hindu         08.03.2011

GURGAON: The Haryana Urban
Development Authority (HUDA) has sanctioned Rs 22.95 crore for the
construction of the Southern Peripheral Road (SPR). This ambitious
project has faced several hurdles in the past but now, with the
santioning of these funds, the project has received an impetus.

A senior HUDA
official said the approval letter has been received and the
construction work would begin in next four months. Under the project,
the HUDA would construct a 17 km road connecting the Faridabad-Gurgaon
stretch to National
Highway-8. The office said a core committee
would be set up to prepare a detailed estimate of the project which
would later be submitted for technical evaluation.

The
project’s success is crucial to solving decongestion problems at key
intersections like IFCCO Chowk and MG Road. At present, all traffic from
Faridabad passes through MG Road and IFCCO Chowk before arriving on the
NH-8.

The SPR
will pass through the Sector 56 road, Badshahpur road, Kherki Dhaula
and NH-8, thus enabling the NH-8 bound traffic from Faridabad to avoid
passing through MG Road.

The HUDA is planning to kick start the
work from Sohna, but several litigations on the Sohna-NH8 stretch have
jeopardised the project. Senior officials say about a kilometre-long
stretch on the Sohna-NH8 road is proving to be the biggest hurdle. Over
35 court cases related to land acquisition on the stretch are still
pending in the court. The litigants are mainly land owners, residents
and private firms.

The construction of over a dozen illegal
houses and shops in Sector 56, which falls on the SPR route, has also
delayed the project.