Locals hail Dwarka e-way project, but demand Kherki Daula toll plaza to be shifted

A large number of residents carried out regular protests against delay in land acquisition and completion of the e-way.

Gurugram: People living along the Dwarka expressway are elated over the opening of the road, which has been in the making for the last one decade and more. The residents said they had started moving to the area around 2016 on the promise that the Dwarka expressway would ensure better connectivity with Delhi, faster commute within the city and reduction traffic congestion. But, the delay of nearly eight years in its completion had made life difficult for them, they said.

Urban Extension Road (UER II), part of the Dwarka Expressway that was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday. (Vipin Kumar/ HT Photo)

Read here: PM Modi flags off Haryana stretch of Dwarka Expressway

A large number of residents and members of Residents’ Welfare Associations (RWA) carried out regular protests against the delay in land acquisition and completion of the expressway.

The Dwarka expressway was conceived in 2006-07 by the Haryana government and it was expected to be completed by 2014. However, due to land disputes the project could not take off and in 2016, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) took charge of the project. While the road got delayed, the Haryana government issued licences to real estate developers during this period, which in turn led to largescale urbanisation and an increase in the number of people living in the area.

Nearly 3 lakh people live in 150 residential societies that have come up along this road in the last one decade. There are also around 30 villages in the periphery of this road.

Pradeep Rahi, president of the Ramprastha City Welfare Association said, “We are very happy with the opening of the road as it will help residents now to move with ease. It will reduce traffic congestion and pollution in the city. We can go to Delhi, Manesar, Sohna and the Golf Course Road easily. Home buyers have waited for a long time for this road to get completed. The struggle is over now,” he said.

A number of homebuyers on the Dwarka expressway also organised themselves into associations to persuade government authorities to complete this project. Prakhar Sahay, a home owner and convener, Dwarka Expressway Gurugram Development Association said that the opening of this road brings a sense of closure. “We started a series of protests and meetings and mobilised a large number of buyers into a cohesive group to put pressure on the authorities to ensure this project is completed. We also worked with HSVP, Haryana government agencies and NHAI to ensure that this project takes off despite numerous legal obstacles,” he recalled, adding people also faced police action due to the protests.

Sahay said that going forward, the authorities must ensure that traffic enforcement is strictly done on Dwarka expressway after opening of the road since it is a high-speed corridor. “We must ensure there is no speeding and accidents don’t take place,” he said.

Though the residents living along Dwarka expressway have welcomed the opening, they also want authorities to shift the Kherki Daula toll plaza and want NHAI to offer discounts to local residents when the toll plaza is made operational. “The government and NHAI should also ensure that Kherki Daula toll plaza is shifted at the earliest. It will give huge relief to residents of the city. The residents living along the expressway should also get rebate in toll fees or monthly passes at reasonable prices should be made available,” said Pravin Malik, president, United Association of New Gurugram.

Read here: Dwarka Expressway inauguration: The impact on Gurugram real estate prices

Along with an easy commute, residents are also expecting a boost to the arterial infrastructure along city sectors lining the road. “The infrastructure in developing sectors has been delayed as this project took almost a decade to complete. We now hope local authorities will start building service roads, internal sector roads, sewage and drainage along the condominiums also. If the supporting infrastructure is not completed, the promises made by the expressway will not be delivered,” said Gaurav Prakash, a resident of Sector 109.