The much-delayed widening of the 90-km Kundapur-Talapady national highway into a four-lane road will only resume post-monsoon and is expected to be ready by June, 2015 .
The project was to have been ready in March, 2013 but got delayed due to funds-related issues in Navayuga Udupi Tollway Pvt. Ltd. (NUTPL), which is executing the project to facilitate movement of vehicles at speeds ranging from 80 to 100 kmph.
Mangalore-based National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) official Sri Ram Mishra told The Hindu that the “company has no money” to resume the work now.
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With the elections over, the company was expected to arrange funds in a couple of months and resume work post-monsoon. This is the second time that the company has had to stop the work.
He said there was a meeting between the company representatives and the NHAI in Bangalore on Tuesday and the company had agreed to begin the work after the monsoon and complete it by June, 2015.
Though the NHAI could also penalise the company for the delay, under the terms of the contract, Mr. Mishra said the government, too, had faulted by not making the land available to the company on time.
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Meanwhile, sources said that the company was keen to execute the project at the earliest, as it would lose about Rs. 150 crore due to two-year delay in toll collection.
To a question, Mr. Mishra said the company could not recoup the loss from the people while collecting toll. Under the contract terms, it was the company’s responsibility to bear the loss because of the delay in executing the project.
Three electric poles atop tall mounds stood witness to the halted progress of the project in front of a petrol bunk near Haleyangadi. Mr. Mishra said the land was being levelled to provide service roads and other facilities.
The company’s financial issues had affected the shifting of poles.
No burden on people
NUTPL project manager, Sanjeev Kumar Singh, who admitted the two-year delay due to financial issues and loss due to delayed toll collection, assured that the burden would not be transferred to people in the form of additional toll. He said the company had no role to play in fixing the toll rate. The Government would decide it. The amount of burden the company would suffer could not be stated now, he said.
Meanwhile, he said till the monsoon get over, the company was giving top priority to ensure the road is safe for users. It would fill pot holes and put the required sign boards wherever required.