Duty magistrate to help expressway firm block NPR at Kherki Daula toll plaza

The Guurgram district administration, on Thursday, appointed a duty magistrate and issued directions to officials to implement a Delhi High Court order to erect temporary structures at a junction near the Kherki Daula toll plaza, blocking the connectivity between the Northern Peripheral Road (NPR) and the Delhi- Gurgaon Expressway.

The order came after the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) wrote a letter to the Gurugram deputy commissioner on Tuesday seeking help on behalf of the highway concessionaire, the Millennium City Expressway Private Ltd (MCEPL). The latter had sought closure of this road citing its contract with NHAI that allows it to collect toll till 2023.

The letter by Gurugram deputy commissioner Vinay Pratap Singh, (a copy of which is with HT), stated: “The NHAI, through a letter dated February 5, has requested compliance of Delhi High Court judgment dated January 25 for temporary measures, such as erection of barricading, to prevent vehicular traffic from getting on to the NH-8. Local residents and social associates did not allow execution of the above judgment and as such, NHAI has requested for appointment of duty magistrate and provide police assistance. Keeping in view the above, I appoint Hitender Sharma, tehsildar, Gurugram, as duty a magistrate to get the work completed.”

The MCEPL, in a letter to Kherki Daula police station, has sought the deployment of 50 men and 50 women police personnel to erect the temporary barricading to prevent any untoward incident and ensure that there is no opposition from residents and villagers, as was the case on January 29. “It is requested to provide police personnel at 12pm (today) to maintain the law and order, and safety of men and machinery. We will start the work at 2pm to erect the boundary wall,” MCEPL chief executive officer S Raghuraman wrote.

The DC’S order means that the concessionaire will finally be able to block the NPR, thus preventing any traffic movement on this road bypassing the toll at Kherki Daula.

“We have been seeking help from the district administration after getting relief from the High Court on January 25. Opening the NPR has caused us heavy revenue loss and it is against the concession agreement and this is what we submitted to the court,” Raghuraman said.

The 300-metre-high wall was demolished on the instruction of chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar after he visited the spot on January 23 and directed Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) to remove it.

The wall was built by the highway concessionaire in 2016 to prevent traffic from bypassing the Kherki Daula toll for entering Gurugram and Delhi.

This decision was opposed by the MCEPL, which approached the Delhi High Court on January 25 and got relief on the same day.

The concessionaire was allowed to erect a temporary structure till the next hearing on February 19. On January 29, when the toll operator and MCEPL tried to erect steel grills, the move was met with protests by residents of new sectors and local villagers. The Gurugram police did not intervene in the matter as no directions had been issued by the district administration in this regard.

On Thursday, NHAI project director Ashok Sharma wrote on twitter, “There is no vested interest or any intention to disrespect the decision of honourable CM Haryana on boundary wall at Kherki Daula. NHAI has asked for duty magistrate to ensure order of honourable Delhi high court as NHAI is answerable to court on 19.2.19.”

First Published: Feb 08, 2019 15:16 IST