25-km hurdle: Dwarka-Gurgaon road hits legal block, no deadline in sight

The construction of a 25-kilometre long road, which would have given direct access to Dwarka into Gurgaon...

The construction of a 25-kilometre long road, which would have given direct access to Dwarka into Gurgaon, has hit a snag since a substantial stretch of land acquired for the project is dotted with widespread construction and is also awaiting a court nod for work to begin.

Envisioned in Masterplan 2021, this expressway 8212; known as the Northern Express Road and undertaken by the Delhi and Gurgaon administrations 8212; was to cut down travel time between the two states. Residents of Dwarka, who at present have to hit the NH-8 in order to reach Manesar and beyond, would have been saved the long detour once this 150-metre wide road came up 8212; at a cost of Rs 90 to Rs 120 crore. Fifteen kilometres of this road would have run through suburban Gurgaon and the rest 10 through Delhi, sources said.

However, officials of the District and Town Planning DTP department of Haryana said that 242.55 acres of the total land acquired from 14 villages, have suddenly come under dispute because of existing buildings on it, mostly homes.

An official at the DTP department said a litigation on this stretch is also pending in the Punjab and Haryana High Court and possession can only start after the court gives its decision.

District Town Planner Madhusmita Moitra said: 8220;There is a stay order on dispossession. The land has been acquired but the Haryana Urban Development Authority HUDA cannot take possession of the demarcated area till the court8217;s final decision.8221;

There is also the question of compensation to landowners. Official records show property owners in 10 villages of the 14 have been given compensation. The DTP official said: 8220;Villages like Pawala Khasroorpur, Chauma, Gurgaon village and Kherki Dhaula are still waiting. Though the land has been acquired, these sprawling constructions remain the problem.8221;

Once DTP gets possession of the entire 618.5 acres needed for the road, the estate officer of HUDA will begin issuing tenders. DTP8217;s superintendent engineer Pankaj Kumra said: 8220;There will be a toll plaza on this road as well like the other two on NH-8 at the Delhi-Gurgaon border and Kherki Dhaula.8221; He, however, would not set a deadline for the finish, given the problems in land acquisition.

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Meanwhile, villagers in Kherki Dhaula have said the authorities made several changes to the initial masterplan. Local Ramesh Yadav said: 8220;The road was diverted from its original path after authorities found out that it would have otherwise run through a commercial plot. We have approached the High Court and have full faith in the judiciary.8221;

President of the Gurgaon and Mahwat zila parishad Roa Abhey said, 8220;The change in plan will affect over 1,000 villagers. The loss to property would have been much less if the road digressed an acre or two from the original blueprint. There is open space surrounding that plot. The road needn8217;t have been taken out through residential areas.8221;

Sources in Urban Development Ministry said the road will also connect areas in Gurgaon where development will now begin. 8220;Such projects are usually undertaken by the National Highways Authority of India NHAI. But they have a lot on their hands now. The two states have therefore gone ahead on their own,8221; a senior ministry official said.