Deputy Municipal Commissioner (Administration) H S Patel told reporters on Wednesday that the Corporation had recently received a no-objection certificate from the Urban Land Ceiling Department to acquire private land. According to him, the VMC had been trying to get an NOC since 1978.

The EME Road joins part of Fatehganj with areas in Sama, New Sama Road and Nizampura. Civic officers said the need for an alternative route had been long felt as the currently utilised area belonged to the EME.

Patel claimed that the defence wing had agreed to give 5,000 square meter land for the one-km-long alternative road between Utkarsh petrol pump and Sama.

The DyMC further stated that the EME had given the Corporation upto 2000 A.D. to lay the alternative route.

The EME has occasionally restricted the entry of vehicles on the road saying that it was risky for their jawans who had to go out for exercises and training in the mornings and evenings. According to sources, on one or two occasions, jawans of the EME were killed in accidents.

The Corporation had decided to lay the alternative road several times, but no financial allocation had been made. This time, however, the civic body has decided to lay the road as part of its scheme to develop 14 model roads in the city.