Ggn authorities mull expediting work on FOBs

Gurugram: A majority of deadly accidents in Gurugram take place on the Delhi-Jaipur highway.

As per official data, over one lakh pedestrians use various busy intersections of the highway, i.e. Shankar Chowk, IFFCO Chowk, Signature towers point and Rajiv Chowk.

Lack of proper facilities for them jeopardises their safety on a daily basis.

The condition only worsens for pedestrians beyond Kherki Dhaula, where many pedestrians are run over by overspeeding vehicles.

Taking cognisance of this major challenge, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and the state government have now plans to expedite the completion of six foot-over bridges (FOBs) at the busy stretches of the Delhi- Jaipur highway.

Various regulatory hurdles, however, have resulted in these projects not meeting their deadlines. The FOBs at the Signature tower chowk and Rajiv Chowk were slated to be completed in December 2017.

Yet, even after three months, 40 per cent of the work is yet to be completed. At the IFFCO Chowk, 50 per cent of the work is said to be completed.

According to official estimates, on an average 8 deaths are reported daily in the city due to road accidents. In the past, the district authorities were forced to build FOBs owing to death of pedestrians by movement of speeding vehicles in Gurugram-Faridabad area. Yet, residents complain that poor maintenance and incomplete work have resulted in people still not using FOBs.

Similar protests by citizens have also been reported from areas like HUDA City Centre and Golf Course Road.