The Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) is planning to lay a piped culvert in Narsingpur under National Highway 8, a development expected to control chronic waterlogging on the highway. The culvert will channel stormwater from the Delhi-Jaipur carriageway into the Badshapur drain, according to an official.
Project Details and Timeline
The metropolitan authority has floated the tender for the project and aims to complete it before the monsoon season. The project will cost the GMDA Rs 2.8 crore. The plan involves laying three pipes, each 900 mm in diameter, across the highway using trenchless technology. This method allows underground construction without digging up the carriageway or disrupting traffic on the busy Delhi-Gurgaon expressway stretch.
Role of the Culvert
The pipes will carry stormwater from the Delhi-Jaipur side of NH-48 towards the drain being constructed near Radha Krishnan Garden in Narsingpur. GMDA is already constructing a 650-meter drain at Narsingpur to channel stormwater accumulated along the service lane towards the Badshapur drain in Sector 37. However, while the drain was designed to cater to runoff from the Jaipur-Delhi side of the highway, officials said an additional culvert was required to carry stormwater from the opposite carriageway as well. This is being done as a temporary measure before the permanent culvert is taken up by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).
Tussle Between GMDA and NHAI
The project has seen a tussle between GMDA and NHAI over design and construction methodology. Last year, GMDA asked NHAI to build the culvert, but the project hit a roadblock after NHAI rejected GMDA’s proposal in January, citing design deficiencies and non-compliance with road safety norms. NHAI asked GMDA to submit revised drawings and fresh cost estimates before granting approval.
Revised Construction Technique
Initially, GMDA proposed excavation-based construction for laying the three piped culverts. However, the plan was dropped over concerns that digging across NH-48 would severely disrupt traffic. Subsequently, a revised proposal using the box-pushing technique, a trenchless method that enables underground construction without disturbing surface traffic, was explored, but the project failed to move forward.
Last month, GMDA chief executive officer PC Meena took up the matter with NHAI chairman Santosh Kumar Yadav, urging him to facilitate construction of the culvert for better drainage management at the flood-prone location. However, GMDA maintained that the latest project is a stopgap arrangement for the upcoming monsoon season, and the permanent drainage system has to be built by NHAI.
