Open Eastern Peripheral Expressway, don’t say PM not there: Supreme Court

The apex court took exception to the fact that the 135-km Expressway — which envisages signal-free connectivity between Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Gautam Budh Nagar (Greater Noida) and Palwal — had not been opened to the public despite being informed earlier that the road would be inaugurated within a month (April).

In order to “decongest and de-pollute” the capital, the top court in 2005 had ordered that a ring road be built outside the city for traffic not bound for Delhi. The Eastern and the Western Peripheral Expressways were planned in 2006, following the Supreme Court order.

On the status of the Eastern Expressway, the NHAI counsel told the bench that work was complete and that it had written to the PMO on when the PM will be free to inaugurate the stretch. Justice Lokur said he read in the newspaper that the PM will not be here on Friday and Saturday.

The NHAI replied that the road was scheduled to be opened on April 29, “but the PM had some prior commitments”. “Why can’t you open it… take one counsel from both sides and open it,” the bench said.

Advocate Aparajitha Singh, the amicus curiae in the case, suggested that the road be opened and inauguration done subsequently. “I think the PMO will not have any objection to it,” she said.

Agreeing to this, Justice Lokur told the NHAI counsel, “Why don’t you open it and inaugurate it later. Meghalaya High Court is functioning for five years without a formal inauguration… you can’t pass the buck and say the Prime Minister is not available.”

The NHAI counsel replied that the expressway is being used by trucks and only toll services have to be made operational. But Singh said she was told that the road was not being used yet. After a brief interaction with Justice Lokur, Justice Gupta said “she (NHAI counsel) may be right that it is being used in a limited way”.

The NHAI counsel then submitted that the Expressway will be inaugurated by May 29.

Meanwhile, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari tweeted, “PM Narendra Modi had given twice dates for inauguration of Eastern Peripheral Expressway. The inauguration had to be postponed due to technical challenges in completion of a railway overbridge. The expressway will be inaugurated once the RoB is completed.”

B S Singla, NHAI chief general manager, said, “The eastern expressway will be completed in the next 15 days. The railway bridge, 19 kms from Kondli, is under construction… It will be done in the next 10 days. The next five days will be for final work, like completing the central line and signboards.” He added that they’ve been working on the Expressway for the past 500 days.

On the Western Expressway, the Haryana government counsel said the concessionaire had assured that work will be completed on or before June 30.

As per the timeline, work on the Western Peripheral Expressway — which connects Kundli to Palwal via Manesarin Haryana – was to be completed by February 2019 but construction would be completed by June this year, the counsel said.