10 Acres Of Protected Area In Aravalis Will Be Destroyed To Build Six-Lane Gurugram Bypass

The first phase of the proposed six-lane Gurugram bypass passing through the Aravali Biodiversity Park will impact about 10 acres of land and will mostly pass through border areas, an NHAI official said on Sunday amid concerns that the new road will harm the “protected area”. The park under the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram is spread over 350 acres.

Officials said NHAI would require a 1.5km stretch of the biodiversity park with a width of about 30 metres to build the expressway bypass and there would be no service road. “The alignment was suggested by the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority and there was a plan to build a road through this area even in the notified Development Plan of Gurugram.

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To build the Rangpuri bypass connecting Shiv Murti with Nelson Mandela Road, we will take some portions of the ridge in Delhi,” the NHAI official said. NHAI has fast-tracked preparations for the three road projects to decongest NH-8 in Delhi and Gurugram. GMDA officials had told TOI on Saturday that the upcoming link road won’t destroy the park and the road could be built by taking necessary permission for diversion of forest land.

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Sources said a few land parcels, that NHAI would have to acquire, belonged to private individuals. Notably, more than 90% of the Aravalis in Gurugram and Faridabad are owned by private individuals. The first phase of the Greater Southern Peripheral Road, also known as GurugramManesar Expressway, will be of 6.5km. It will take off from NH-8 near Dhanchiri Camp and connect Mehrauli-Gurugram Road and Gurugram-Faridabad Road. Later, it will be extended to Manesar and will join NH-8 near the NSG campus.

The work will require around Rs 300 crore. “The bypass will have a huge impact on reducing vehicular pollution in the region,” a highway ministry official said. NHAI has also moved a proposal to build a 5km elevated road connecting NH-8 near Shiv Murti with Nelson Mandela Road, which is also known as Rangpuri bypass. This project will cost around Rs 600 crore.