Snail’s pace of work on 2nd phase of Lasjan bypass flyover

A view of under construction 2nd phase of Lasjan bypass flyover. -Excelsior pic
A view of under construction 2nd phase of Lasjan bypass flyover. -Excelsior pic

Suhail Bhat
SRINAGAR, June 26: The construction work on the second phase of the Lasjan bypass flyover on the outskirts of Srinagar is moving at a slow pace, with officials blaming the constant traffic flow at the construction site for the poor progress.
After a long wait of more than 10 years, the first section of the flyover was finally opened last year, which improved traffic flow at this crucial NH-44 junction. However, due to the distractions at the construction site, the construction company is finding it difficult to complete the second section of the flyover.
“Yes, it is challenging to complete the construction work while there is high traffic, but the engineers are managing. Since the work commenced last year, there have been no interruptions,” an official said.
He added the work on the flyover has been going on for the last 10 years as issues ranging from fund scarcity to the technical incompetence of the executing agency disrupted the construction work.
After RAMKY infrastructure failed multiple deadlines since the project began in 2011, the Government awarded the contract for the unfinished work to Gawar Construction Limited in August 2020. “We cannot claim they were fined but their contract was not renewed,” an official said.
The flyover was allocated at a crucial intersection on the highway close to the Lasjan area after the new alignment of NH-44 from Pampore to Lasjan Bypass opened. The move was intended to create grade separation for effective traffic flow. When completed, the grade separator will ease traffic going towards Baramulla and the Pampore Bypass.
Commuters have been waiting for the completion of the flyover for a very long time because of the high volume of traffic from both the southern and northern sides of the Valley at the intersection. According to commuters, the first segment’s opening was beneficial, and they believe the second part of the flyover will completely alleviate the junction’s traffic issues.
Purshottam Kumar, Regional Officer of NHAI in Kashmir, told Excelsior that once a semi-circular road that bypasses the junction is finished, construction work will proceed at full speed. “The road will be finished soon. Once it is finished, traffic will be redirected through it, allowing construction to proceed at the appropriate pace and without interruption,” he said.