Moving again

For those currently struggling in interminable traffic jams between the national capital and industrial centre Meerut, there is some good news in the offing. The centre in January approved a road-widening project for the NH 24 (the Delhi-Meerut Expressway), with work set to finish in 30 months’ time. The ₹7,500-crore project will give those living along the NH 58 — currently the major motorable route between these two cities — a break from congestion and will hopefully boost flat sales in the vicinity of the NH 24. The final 87-km route shall feature a six-lane expressway and eight-lane highway, in addition to service roads, cycle tracks, flyovers, overbridges and underpasses. Although the land acquisition for the project — it needs nearly 350 hectare — is almost through, there is concern about the chaos that will be caused till construction work is complete. Then again, infrastructure development in India has pretty much always been a zero-sum game.