News: Road to another Gurgaon

(BS 21/07/2006) New Delhi - Rs 1,800-cr expressway to transform rural areas like Jhajjar, Sonepat into industrial hubs.

After Gurgaon, the next big boom in Haryana is around the corner. This time, the Rs 1,800-crore Kundli-Manesar-Palwal expressway that may perhaps be the largest single road contract awarded in the country will be the trigger.

Once the by-pass is constructed, rural areas like Jhajjar, Sonepat and Rohtak will get transformed into industrial hubs.

"In a decade, Jhajjar will become another Gurgaon," said Haryana State Industrial Development Corporation (HSIDC) spokesperson Jeevan Bhardwaj.

The corporation has awarded the contract to DS Constructions on a BOT basis and the concession period is 23 years and nine months. The project is expected to be completed in 2009. The expressway route is Kundli-Sonepat-Bahadurgarh-Jhajjar-Gurgaon-Faridabad-Palwal.

While Gurgaon and Faridabad have gained from their proximity to Delhi, the other areas have remained largely under-developed. With the proposed highway, the state has been bombarded with investment proposals in the region.

The state government already has plans for two industrial townships of about 3000 acres each. The Reliance Industries special economic zone, too, is coming up on either side of this highway.

Apart from these projects, a petrochemicals hub,spread over 5,000 acres, is also coming up at Panipat. Land acquisition for the first phase — of 1,000 acres — has already been completed. According to sources, the state government also has a proposal to build an education hub at Panipat.

Indian Foundation of Transport Research and Training co-ordinator SP Singh said the proposed expressway would also help decongest Delhi roads as "once the highway is constructed, about 25,000-50,000 commercial vehicles which usually pass through the city will take the new road".