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The long-anticipated Sanathal road-widening project, part of the Ahmedabad-Bavla-Bagodara national highway, has hit a roadblock due to a standoff between the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). The disagreement revolves around the land valuation for an extradosed bridge to be constructed over the Sanathal crossroads.
This project aims to widen the highway stretch between Ujala Circle and Navapura in Sarkhej, which experiences heavy traffic congestion. The planned extradosed bridge, a structure combining elements of prestressed box girder bridges and cable-stayed bridges, is crucial for alleviating the traffic bottleneck at the Sanathal Circle on the SP Ring Road.
The core issue centers on merging two service roads into the NHAI highway, covering 20,958 sq m, at an estimated cost of ?100 crore. AMC initially planned to hand over the land to NHAI, but the valuation dispute emerged when AMC demanded a higher price, prompting NHAI to issue a land acquisition notification. This action led to the current impasse.
AMC officials are critical of NHAIs move, especially since AMCs standing committee approved the transfer of the land to NHAI at commercial rates in February. The intention was to facilitate the construction of the bridge and address the traffic bottleneck caused by the existing flyover at Sanathal Circle.
"A flyover has been constructed by Auda at Sanathal, but a bottleneck persists there. The Ahmedabad-Bavla-Bagodara National Highway passes below the Sanathal flyover, creating a traffic snarl between Ujala Circle and the junction," said a senior AMC official. To solve this problem, the state government initiated the road-widening project.
Initially, the AMC proposed 7.5m and 12m service roads on either side of SP Ring Road. Negotiations between NHAI and AMC led to an agreement to hand over advance possession of the land to NHAI, with the cost to be recovered later based on land valuation. However, NHAIs move to acquire the land instead of purchasing it from AMC has complicated the process.
A state government official, speaking anonymously, confirmed that the project, including the extradosed bridge, a new railway overbridge, and an elevated flyover, required acquiring service roads from AMCs town planning (TP) schemes. He mentioned that NHAIs decision to acquire land through acquisition laws instead of purchasing from AMC is "unwarranted."
The resolution of this disagreement is critical for the project’s progress and to ensure smoother traffic flow along this vital highway. Further negotiations and collaborative efforts between AMC and NHAI are needed to overcome this ?100 crore obstacle. |
