PM Narendra Modi inaugurates Western Peripheral Expressway today, here’s you need to know about Delhi’s 4th ring road

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates the Kundli-Manesar-Palway (KMP) Expressway, all known as Western Peripheral Expressway today. The project, which was originally expected to complete in 2009, has missed multiple deadlines. It has taken 15 years to complete this project.

“This western peripheral expressway had to be completed during commonwealth games, but we all know what was done back then, this expressway was also a victim of that”, Modi said.

PM Modi also listed out the advantages of the new expressway, “This western peripheral expressway will contribute to reducing pollution. In a way, this expressway will help the- economy, environment, ease of travelling and ease of living” he said.

The project was proposed in 2003 and was awarded to KMP Expressways Ltd, a special purpose vehicle (SPV) of DS Constructions, Madhucon Projects and Apollo Enterprises in 2005. The initial total cost of the project was Rs 1,915 crore.

The long wait

In June 2012, in a multi-party meeting between Haryana government, Delhi government and the developer in which a revised deadline of May 2013 was fixed. However, due to delay in construction, Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC) decided to penalize the company in April 2012 after which the dispute went to the courts and the project was stalled. Later on, the lenders led by IDBI Bank served the concessionaire KMP Expressways with a substitution notice due to its continued defaults in the performance of its financial and other obligations.Subsequently, then Haryana government, which had also awarded the contract, decided to terminate it and pay KMP Expressways and lenders Rs 1,300 crore as the termination payment.

In 2014, the project was revived. It was also decided to upgrade the expressway to a six-lane expressway. Following that on April 5, 2016, the 53-km stretch between Manesar and Palwal was opened for the public use.

Route

The newly built KMP expressway links to NH-1 (Delhi to Panipat), NH-8 (Jaipur-Gurgaon-Delhi Road), NH 10 (Hisar Rohtak-Delhi Road), however, the Manesar to Palwal stretch has been operational for quite some time now and the Kundli-Manesar stretch will be opened to traffic on Monday.

Delhi will get its 4th ring road

The first ring road was completed and opened for traffic in 1956. While the second one was fully operated in 1970.

The third ring road called the Eastern Peripheral Expressway also known as EPE was inaugurated earlier this year in May. The 135 Km long expressway is built at a cost of Rs 11,000 crore and it links to NH-1 (Panipat to Delhi), SH-57 also called Sultanpur-Delhi Highway, NH 58 or the Meerut-Delhi Road, NH-24 called the Hapur-Dasna-Delhi Road, NH-91 known as Aligarh-Delhi Road, Kasna-Sikandra- Delhi road and the NH-2 also called the Agra-Delhi Road.