High Court removes legal roadblock

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 3

The legal roadblock in laying the remaining portion of Northern Peripheral Expressway was today removed with the Punjab and Haryana High Court dismissing pending writ petitions.

The remaining portion will now be laid expeditiously, providing a major alternative access between Delhi and Gurgaon. The orders also allow the petitioners to construct their houses in the HUDA sectors.

Northern Peripheral Expressway is a 150-metre-wide 18-km artery provided in the development plan of the Gurgaon-Manesar Urban Complex (GMUC). It links Dwarka and south-west Delhi with Gurgaon-Manesar and beyond. The process started in 2008-2009; and a major portion of the road stands constructed. But a number of writ petitions were filed challenging acquisition.

As a result, 1.3 kms stretch of the road could not be undertaken for construction. In order to facilitate the construction and also to provide relief to the petitioners who had constructed houses or had plots in area, the state government framed a settlement proposal to resettle them in Sectors 37C and 110A, Gurgaon.

The settlement was framed after detailed discussions with the petitioners and placed before the Punjab and Haryana High Court. After due consideration, the High Court disposed of a number of writ petitions vide orders dated May 20. Since, some of the petitioners, particularly near the stretch along the National Highway 8 did not accept the settlement proposals submitted by the state government, the High Court granted them time to dwell upon the proposal again.

In view of the fact that the petitioners did not agree to the settlement, the writ petitions were heard on merits and after detailed arguments the order was reserved. The High Court pronounced the orders today by dismissing the pending writ petitions.