Residents of developing sectors along the Northern Peripheral Road (NPR) will have to wait longer for the removal of the Dwarka Expressway blockade.

The Delhi high court, after hearing the state counsel, has impleaded the Haryana Public Works (buildings and roads) department (PW) (B&R) as a party in the Dwarka Expressway blockade case and scheduled the next hearing for May 8.

Anil Grover, additional advocate general, Haryana, submitted to the court that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is, wrongfully, not allowing the connection of a slip road with the highway. “The wall was constructed on our land and we demolished it. The grilles that have been installed are also on our land but the concessionaire has not taken our permission,” he said.

The case pertains to the connectivity of NPR with the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway, which was blocked by MCEPL on February 8 after it approached the Delhi high court on January 25. The concessionaire had approached the court after Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP), on January 23, had demolished a 300-metre wall following instructions from Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, who had visited the spot earlier that day.

The decision of demolishing the wall, built by MCEPL in 2016, was opposed by the NHAI, which went to the court and managed to get interim relief till February 19.

The state government further submitted that the highway concessionaire’s move to implead the NHAI and state government through principal secretary, road and transport, as a respondent in the case, is wrong. “The state support agreement submitted in the court has been signed by secretary, PW (BR), and as such, this department should have been made the respondent. HSVP could also have been made a party as the wall was demolished by it,” said Grover.

The state also submitted in the court that over 2 lakh people living in the developing sectors along the Dwarka Expressway are badly affected because of the blockade. “After hearing our submission, the court asked MCEPL (the concessionaire) to submit a fresh memo of parties and asked us to file a reply on May 8,” said Grover.

S Raghuraman, chief executive officer, MCEPL, confirmed the development and said that they will file a reply once the government makes it submission in the next hearing. “We will make the submission on May 8,” he added.

Residents living in societies along the Dwarka Expressway said they were hoping for relief from the court and the current development has come as a shock.

At least 2,000 residents of developing sectors near Kherki Daula were using this road to bypass the Kherki Daula toll plaza between January 23 and February 7. Many protests were also organised by the residents’ welfare associations in the areas well as by larger residents’ bodies, mainly the Dwarka expressway welfare association and United Association of New Gurugram, prior to the demolition of the wall and also after the grilles were installed.

“We are extremely dejected by the legal development as it will further delay the opening of this road. We hope the government tries and gets the Kherki Daula toll moved,” said Manoj Lakhani, a homebuyer.

Another resident, Prakhar Sahay, said that they are planning to file a public interest litigation (PIL) in the court to seek relief on behalf of thousands of residents living along the Dwarka Expressway.

First Published: Feb 20, 2019 14:42 IST