Following objections by the concessionaire of the Delhi-jaipur highway, the Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) Saturday sought permission from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to connect the 84-metre Sector 76/77 Road with National Highway-48 (NH-48).
The highway concessionaire said it lost ₹5.5 lakh in revenue two days after the opening of just one road.
The HSVP also sought permission to remove a boundary wall at the Kherki Daula toll plaza junction to connect the Northern Peripheral Road (NPR) with the Delhi-gurgaon Expressway just before the toll.
“Sector 76/77 Road, which connects the Southern Peripheral Road with NH-48, is one of the important roads that helps ease commute in Gurugram and NCR,” read a letter written by HSVP superintending engineer RS Bishnoi. Both these roads, the letter adds, were integral parts of the Gurugram Manesar urban complex 2031 master plan.
Last week, officials of the Pink City Expressway Ltd (PCEL), the concessionaire of a part of the Delhi-jaipur highway, had threatened to block or dig up the newly built road if the HSVP did not seek permission from the NHAI. “We are duty-bound to block this road as it is not legal to connect any road with an expressway without requisite permission,” said Anil Kumar, route supervisor of this stretch.
The HSVP also requested the NHAI to remove the wall to connect the NPR with the Delhi-gurgaon Expressway. “A wall has been constructed at the junction by the NHAI. As commuters are facing difficulties, it is requested that this wall be removed,” the HSVP letter stated.
The highway concessionaire had objected to the opening of the Sector 76/77 Road and the removal of the wall on the grounds that the company would incur heavy losses. The PCEL had said that it would approach the NHAI chief and seek legal recourse, if required.
“For the past year, the Haryana government has been meeting with us, saying they want to buy back the toll plaza. But now, they seek to open these roads, which violate all agreements,” Millennium City Expressway Private Limited (MCEPL) chief executive officer S Raghuraman said, adding the firm lost ₹5.5 lakh in toll revenue within two days of just one of these roads being opened to traffic.
According to officials, around 80,000 vehicles pay toll at the Kherki Daula plaza every day, and the average daily revenue generated is around ₹45 lakh.
HSVP administrator, Gurugram, Chander Shekhar Khare said these roads were crucial for movement across the city and NCR. “These roads are very important for residents of the developing sectors (sectors 81-115), and to reduce congestion on the highway,” Khare said.
Residents of these sectors, who called off an indefinite hunger strike on Saturday, described this as a positive development and said the government should get this work done on priority. “People in new sectors are suffering, and not only should the roads be opened, but the Kherki Daula toll should also be removed,” homebuyer Prakhar Sahay said.
Source : HT
