Jammu-Akhnoor Road Project Faces Further Delays
ROADS & HIGHWAYS

Jammu-Akhnoor Road Project Faces Further Delays

The Jammu-Akhnoor four-lane road project, sanctioned in 2015 under the Prime Minister’s Development Package, is set to miss yet another deadline, as key components of the project remain incomplete. Despite multiple extensions, including a final deadline of December 31, 2024, announced by the National Highway Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL), the contractor has failed to meet progress expectations. Work on the critical bridge over the Ranbir Canal near Dumi Malpur has yet to begin, alongside incomplete approaches for another bridge and pending blacktopping of approximately 9 kilometers of the road. With winter setting in, macadamization work is unlikely to resume before March 2025. The contractor, M/s Tarmat Pvt Ltd, has requested a six-month extension, but NHIDCL has taken a firm stance given the prolonged delays. Originally expected to be completed within two years, the Rs 9.17 billion project has now stretched over six years, with only 12–13% of work remaining. Allegations of poor supervision, delayed payments, and unresolved land acquisition issues have further hampered progress. Additionally, disputes over the design of the Ranbir Canal bridge have stalled construction, prompting a redesign to a steel structure. The project spans 26.35 km from Jammu’s Bhagwati Nagar to Khati Chowk near Akhnoor, forming part of NH-144A. The contract for a 20.35 km stretch was awarded to M/s Tarmat Ltd in June 2019 for Rs 1.93 billion. Scheduled for completion by mid-2021, the contractor achieved only 30.73% financial progress by July 2021, leading to the company being placed on NHIDCL’s negative list for one year. NHIDCL officials, including General Manager Col (Retd) SP Sangwan, have confirmed that work on two bridges, including the redesigned Ranbir Canal bridge, is pending. The contractor has been cleared from the negative list, but further delays are anticipated. NHIDCL has emphasised the need for timely resolution of outstanding issues, including pending approvals from the Irrigation Department. While the project was envisioned as a priority initiative to improve connectivity in Jammu and Kashmir, its repeated delays have drawn criticism. The completion of this vital infrastructure remains uncertain, with potential economic and logistical benefits still unrealised. (dailyexcelsior)

The Jammu-Akhnoor four-lane road project, sanctioned in 2015 under the Prime Minister’s Development Package, is set to miss yet another deadline, as key components of the project remain incomplete. Despite multiple extensions, including a final deadline of December 31, 2024, announced by the National Highway Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL), the contractor has failed to meet progress expectations. Work on the critical bridge over the Ranbir Canal near Dumi Malpur has yet to begin, alongside incomplete approaches for another bridge and pending blacktopping of approximately 9 kilometers of the road. With winter setting in, macadamization work is unlikely to resume before March 2025. The contractor, M/s Tarmat Pvt Ltd, has requested a six-month extension, but NHIDCL has taken a firm stance given the prolonged delays. Originally expected to be completed within two years, the Rs 9.17 billion project has now stretched over six years, with only 12–13% of work remaining. Allegations of poor supervision, delayed payments, and unresolved land acquisition issues have further hampered progress. Additionally, disputes over the design of the Ranbir Canal bridge have stalled construction, prompting a redesign to a steel structure. The project spans 26.35 km from Jammu’s Bhagwati Nagar to Khati Chowk near Akhnoor, forming part of NH-144A. The contract for a 20.35 km stretch was awarded to M/s Tarmat Ltd in June 2019 for Rs 1.93 billion. Scheduled for completion by mid-2021, the contractor achieved only 30.73% financial progress by July 2021, leading to the company being placed on NHIDCL’s negative list for one year. NHIDCL officials, including General Manager Col (Retd) SP Sangwan, have confirmed that work on two bridges, including the redesigned Ranbir Canal bridge, is pending. The contractor has been cleared from the negative list, but further delays are anticipated. NHIDCL has emphasised the need for timely resolution of outstanding issues, including pending approvals from the Irrigation Department. While the project was envisioned as a priority initiative to improve connectivity in Jammu and Kashmir, its repeated delays have drawn criticism. The completion of this vital infrastructure remains uncertain, with potential economic and logistical benefits still unrealised. (dailyexcelsior)

Next Story
Equipment

Handling concrete better

Efficiently handling the transportation and placement of concrete is essential to help maintain the quality of construction, meet project timelines by minimising downtimes, and reduce costs – by 5 to 15 per cent, according to Sandeep Jain, Director, Arkade Developers. CW explores what the efficient handling of concrete entails.Select wellFirst, a word on choosing the right equipment, such as a mixer with a capacity aligned to the volume required onsite, from Vaibhav Kulkarni, Concrete Expert. “An overly large mixer will increase the idle time (and cost), while one that ..

Next Story
Real Estate

Elevated floors!

Raised access flooring, also called false flooring, is a less common interiors feature than false ceilings, but it has as many uses – if not more.A raised floor is a modular panel installed above the structural floor. The space beneath the raised flooring is typically used to accommodate utilities such as electrical cables, plumbing and HVAC systems. And so, raised flooring is usually associated with buildings with heavy cabling and precise air distribution needs, such as data centres.That said, CW interacted with designers and architects and discovered that false flooring can come in handy ..

Next Story
Infrastructure Urban

The Variation Challenge

A variation or change in scope clause is defined in construction contracts to take care of situations arising from change in the defined scope of work. Such changes may arise due to factors such as additions or deletions in the scope of work, modifications in the type, grade or specifications of materials, alterations in specifications or drawings, and acts or omissions of other contractors. Further, ineffective planning, inadequate investigations or surveys and requests from the employer or those within the project’s area of influence can contribute to changes in the scope of work. Ext..

Advertisement

Advertisement

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Get daily newsletters around different themes from Construction world.

STAY CONNECTED

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Talk to us?