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.