Vends, cuts on Western Peripheral Expressway pose risk to commuters

Illegal commercial activities, including the operation of liquor vends on the side of the expressways passing through the district, have emerged as a cause for concern for many, including the law-enforcing agencies.

Road full of encroachments

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• While some of the cuts have been made by residents of nearby villages, these have become places to run liquor drinking points and eateries. The sale of petroleum is also being done in an illegal manner at certain points.
• The presence of anti-social elements on the expressway poses a threat to the safety of commuters at night. Several kilometres of the passages of the KMP and the KGP starting from Palwal have been lying damaged or riddled with potholes, resulting in problems.

Commuting on the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal (KMP) expressway, also known as the Western Peripheral Expressway, has become unsafe due to the operating of illegal liquor vends, eateries and the sale of petroleum products in an unlawful manner, sources in the district administration said.

With some portions of the side railing of the 55-km expressway between Palwal and Manesar getting removed or damaged, these have been turned into points of illegal commercial activities, including the illegal sale of the liquor, the sources revealed.

“While the illegal vends had been causing a loss of revenue to the State Excise Department, commuters face the risk of accidents as vehicles halted at such spots pose the risk of mishaps,” an employee said.

Besides illegal cuts, the poor condition of the road defeats the purpose of providing a safe and smooth travel on the expressway, which connects Palwal with Kundli in Sonepat. Four to five illegal cuts have come up between Palwal and Sohna where some liquor vends had been functional, it was alleged.

While some of the cuts have been made by residents of nearby villages, these have become places to run liquor drinking points and eateries. The sale of petroleum is also being done in an illegal manner at certain points.

The presence of anti-social elements on the expressway poses a threat to the safety of commuters at night. Several kilometres of the passages of the KMP and the Kundli–Ghaziabad–Palwal (KGP) expressway starting from Palwal have been lying damaged or potholed, resulting in problems.

“With no lighting, the movement of anti-social elements or stray animals poses a threat to commuters,” said Kulveer, an area resident.

Claiming that cops had been taking swift action to curb the smuggling and sale of illicit liquor, Sanjay Kumar, a spokesperson of the police, said it had seized 4,701 bottles and 42 litres of illicit liquor worth several lakhs in 80 incidents in the past one month. Two illegal vends had been unearthed by the CM flying squad at two villages in the district recently.

Deputy Commissioner Harish Vashisht said he had directed the excise department officials to conduct a probe into the matter so that an action could be taken to curb such an activity.