Gurugram Expressway firm blocks link to NPR

The concessionaire for the Delhi-Gurugram Expressway and the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) on Friday blocked the connectivity between the Northern Peripheral Road (NPR) and the National Highway 48 near Kherki Daula toll plaza by erecting steel grills.

The Delhi-Gurugram Expressway concessionaire, the Millennium City Expressway Private Ltd (MCEPL), had been threatening to close the NPR (also called Dwarka Expressway) and the Southern Peripheral Road (SPR) after getting an affirmative order from the Delhi High Court to erect a temporary structure to block the way.

Residents of the developing sectors of New Gurugram (mainly from Sectors 80 to 95) said that they would launch a protest On Friday evening against the move of the MCEPL and the NHAI.

The 300-metre-long and two-metre-high wall, which was built by MCEPL in 2016 to prevent traffic from bypassing the toll plaza, was razed by the Haryana government authorities after Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar visited the spot along with Gurugram Deputy Commissioner (DC) Vinay Pratap Singh on January 23.

Khattar directed the Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) to remove it and the wall was demolished on the same day.

The district administration appointed tehsildar Manesar Hitender Sharma as duty magistrate and issued directions to officials to implement the Delhi High Court order to erect a temporary structure.

According to an agreement, signed between NHAI and MCEPL, the latter has the right to collect toll till January 2023.

The NHAI on Tuesday had written a letter to the Deputy Commissioner seeking help on behalf of MCEPL, asking for closure of this road citing the agreement.

MCEPL' CEO S. Raghuraman said that they have been seeking help from the district administration after getting relief from the High Court on January 25.

The next hearing is on February 19.

"Opening the NPR has caused us heavy revenue loss and it is against the agreement and this is what we submitted to the court," Raghuraman said.

On January 29, when the toll operator and MCEPL tried to erect steel grills, the move was met with protests by residents.

The Gurugram police then did not intervene in the matter as no directions had been issued by the district administration in this regard.

On Friday, heavy police force was deployed at the erecting site.

--IANS

pradeep/oeb/ab