Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Eastern Peripheral Expressway (EPE) ), or one half of the ring round around Delhi, on May 27. The move is expected to decongest the city and reduce vehicular pollution.
Earlier this month, the Supreme Court had given an ultimatum to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to inaugurate the Expressway on or before May 31 after it was informed that the peripheral road was ready but could not be launched because Mr. Modi had prior commitments.
Incomplete work
Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari later told journalists that the Expressway could not be inaugurated because work on a rail overbridge was incomplete.
Mr. Modi will inaugurate the EPE at Baghpat in Uttar Pradesh and also hold a public meeting there. The peripheral road will be opened for public the following day, said an official of the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. The 135 km-road, built at a cost of ₹5,763 crore, will provide signal-free connectivity between Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Gautam Budh Nagar and Palwal.
The EPE has a system under which toll is collected only for the distance travelled and not the entire length of the road. There are machines installed at entry points for measuring the weight of vehicles in motion and and a separate exit for overloaded vehicles. A part of the project is provision of a passage to vehicles not headed towards the national Capital and comprises the Western Peripheral Expressway (WPE) and EPE connecting NH-1 and NH-2 to form a circle around Delhi. The former will connect Kundli with Palwal via Manesar and is expected to be completed next month.
