Open up Eastern Expressway for public by May 31: SC

The Supreme Court today directed the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to throw open the Eastern Peripheral Expressway for the public by May 31, asking why were they "waiting" for its inauguration by the Prime Minister.

The apex court said if the 135-km expressway, which envisages signal-free connectivity between Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Gautam Budh Nagar (Greater Noida) and Palwal, is not inaugurated on or before May 31, it should be thrown open for public who were facing traffic congestion in Delhi.

The Eastern and the Western Peripheral Expressways were planned in 2006 following the top court's order to build a ring road outside the national capital for channelling the traffic not bound for Delhi. The apex court had asked the Centre in 2005 to build the expressway around Delhi by July 2016 to decongest and "de-pollute" the national capital.

Today, the directions by the bench comprising Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta came after it was informed by the NHAI counsel that the construction work was complete.

When the counsel said it was earlier scheduled to be inaugurated on April 29 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi but could not be done due to his prior commitments, the bench asked "why don't you inaugurate it?"