The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has told the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that it constructed a 1.2-kilometre-long flyover at an additional cost of ₹60 crore to avoid disturbing a village pond in Goyla Khurd, southwest Delhi, during the construction of the Urban Extension Road-2 (UER-2).
Responding to the NGT’s October 2023 suo motu proceedings, initiated after a media report alleged that a highway was being built over a protected water body, NHAI in its submission dated May 16 (uploaded June 28), said it had adhered to standard engineering practice by opting for a bridge to preserve the water body.
“It is a well-established engineering practice that a bridge is proposed over a highway if it passes through any pond/water so that it causes minimal disturbance to the water body… Instead of proposing an at-grade road by filling the pond, which may have cost ₹15 crore, a bridge costing around ₹75 crore was constructed to ensure minimal disturbance to the pond,” the agency said. It added that this approach was in line with sustainable infrastructure norms.
The report also stated that land acquisition for Goyla Khurd took place in 2008 under the Delhi Development Authority (DDA). In 2017, DDA requested NHAI to develop UER-2 between NH-8 and NH-1, later declared as National Highway 344M. On May 1, 2019, NHAI submitted a proposal for terms of reference (ToR) under the environmental impact assessment (EIA) notification, which was approved by the environment ministry on July 19, 2019. The ToR had acknowledged the presence of the pond.
Following this, land in villages including Dhoolsiras, Chhawla, Tajpur Khurd and Goyla Khurd was handed over to NHAI free from encumbrances. Environmental clearance was granted on December 30, 2021, explicitly noting the presence of one pond, nine irrigation canals, and six drains along the proposed road alignment, the report said.
However, the NGT had earlier termed NHAI’s submission as “cryptic” and criticised DDA for not responding to six separate notices. The tribunal directed the DDA vice-chairperson to appear virtually during the next hearing on August 8 and assist in the proceedings.