The war in West Asia has driven up bitumen prices, slowing work on key road projects in Delhi, including the Barapullah Phase III elevated corridor. Public Works Department officials say supplies are intermittent due to shortages and cost hikes over the past month. Though the war has ended, its effects are expected to linger for months.
Road works under Delhi's Public Works Department (PWD), including repairs, new builds and the Barapullah Phase III elevated corridor, have slowed over the past month due to higher prices of petroleum products like bitumen, triggered by the West Asia war, PWD officials said.
The 3.5-km Barapullah Phase III extension of Phases I and II is 90% complete, with a revised June deadline. Officials noted intermittent supplies: "We received 20 tonnes yesterday, used today. Fifteen days ago, work stopped due to non-availability," one said on the project. Without regular bitumen, the deadline risks slipping.
Other affected works include strengthening 153 stretches over 400 km and repairing 128 stretches, with only 60 km done by the March 31 deadline. PWD has proposed extending it to July 31, pending Cabinet approval. Stretches like Bipin Chadrapal Marg to CR Park and Mathura Road are included.
Contractor Sudeer Nimesh, working in Trans-Yamuna areas like Sonia Vihar, said 80% of work has slowed, missing the March 31 target. Bitumen prices rose from Rs 40 per kg to Rs 65 since March. A senior PWD official expects resolution in three-four months, as "the war is over but its impact will linger." The project's cost has escalated from Rs 1,260.63 crore to Rs 1,635.03 crore, with further rises possible.
