Major relief for residents of developing sectors near Kherki Daula toll plaza
The decision to remove the wall is arbitrary and we will approach the court to seek justice. S RAGHURAMAN, chief executive officer, MCEPL
Gurugram agencies around 8pm on Wednesday demolished the wall at the intersection of the Dwarka Expressway and the Delhi-gurgaon Expressway, providing major relief to residents of developing sectors living after the Kherki Daula toll plaza.
The demolition took place just a few hours after Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar announced during his visit to Kherki Daula toll plaza around noon on Wednesday that the wall would be removed by the Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) even though the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is against it.
Gurugram deputy commissioner, Vinay Pratap Singh, who had accompanied the CM during his visit to the toll plaza and Dwarka Expressway, also known as the Northern Peripheral Road (NPR) said that a number of complaints had been made by residents of sectors living beyond the toll plaza and so, the CM decided to visit the spot and the expressway. “The CM had visited the wall built at the intersection of the NPR with NH-48 and since it is obstructing the access of already constructed NPR with NH-48, he asked officials of the HSVP to examine the case and remove the wall to give relief to residents of sectors beyond Kherki Daula toll plaza. In pursuance to directions, the wall has been removed by the HSVP and now, the NPR is connected to NH-48. This has brought big relief to residents,” said Singh.
The sudden removal of this wall by the government also surprised the residents of developing sectors, who hailed this decision of removing what they had christened the “Great wall of Gurugram”. “Thousands of residents
were affected by the wall, as they got stuck at the toll plaza due to congestion and jams. Also, heavy toll fees were being paid daily, which the residents can now avoid,” said Prakhar Sahay, a homebuyer and a member of the Dwarka Expressway welfare association, which had recently gone on a two-day strike to get the toll shifted and removal of the wall.
A large number of residents also shared their views on Twitter. “A number of us still can’t believe that this wall has been removed. This is a great step for Gurugram,” said Dileep Yadav, a resident of Kherki Daula.
The 300-metre wall was con“the structed by the concessionaire of the Delhi-gurgaon Expressway, with the permission of the NHAI, citing revenue loss.
The NHAI, two weeks ago, had cited technical and legal reasons for not agreeing to the HSVP’S request for removal of the wall, as it would violate the agreement between the state and the highway concessionaire.
Millennium City Expressways Private Limited (MCEPL), the concessionaire, has opposed the
removal of the wall on the grounds that it would cause a revenue loss. “The decision to remove the wall is arbitrary and we will approach the court to seek justice,” said S Raghuraman, CEO, MCEPL.
During his visit, CM Khattar also visited Dwarka Expressway and was briefed about the elevated road project by NHAI project director Uideep Singhal and representatives of L&T, the concessionaire for the project.
CM was told that latest technology was being used to build this road and engineering interventions such as cloverleaf and trumpet junction would be used to overcome obstacles,” said Singhal.
Also, the NHAI has designed the expressway in a manner such that heavy traffic that will come in from the under-construction Manesar road will be able to merge seamlessly on this road.
The CM later also went to IFFCO Chowk to take stock of the project and directed officials to remove the high-tension power cables, which have delayed the completion of one of the flyovers at this intersection.
Commuters get wider access
With the demolition of the wall separating the Dwarka Expressway and Delhi-gurgaon Expressway, residents of new Gurugram sectors can now cut down significantly on their travel time
The three-foot high wall at the intersection of the 1 Dwarka Expressway and Gurugram expressway was constructed by the concessionaire to prevent commuters from bypassing the toll plaza. It has been demolished 2 The NHAI said it will connect the two peripheral expressways through a cloverleaf intersection, on the Central Peripheral Expressway 3 The alternative route, allowing commuters to bypass the Kherki Daula toll plaza, is yet to be approved by the NHAI
Source : HT
