Pachgaon villagers protest toll plaza construction, demand underpass first

They said work on a flyover was stopped by them, and they will take similar action at the toll plaza site

Gurugram

Protesters disrupted work at the site on Thursday. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

Residents of around 20 villages around Pachgaon on the Delhi-Jaipur highway protested against the ongoing construction of a toll plaza, and demanded that an underpass from Gurugram to Jamalpur road be constructed before the toll plaza is erected. They said work on a flyover was stopped by them, and they will take similar action at the toll plaza site.

Officials of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), meanwhile, assured to build an underpass, but in due time.

Mahender Singh Patwari, a protester, said that even senior leaders and sarpanches participated in the protest. “We are demanding that an underpass be constructed from Gururgam side towards Jamalpur village, as the existing surface level cut on NH 48 is very dangerous and is also a designated black spot due to a large number of accidents. The NHAI was earlier building a flyover at this location but now, it has stopped work as it is using this land to build the Pachgaon toll plaza,” he said.

They also held a panchayat at the construction site, under the leadership of Subedar Hoshiar Singh, and decided to hold a mahapanchayat on August 10 to discuss the issues. Residents of Kukdola, Fazilwas, Gwalior, Chandla Dungarwas, Fakharpur, Tatarpur, Jamalpur, Shakarwali, Kasan, Binola, Kherki and Hasanpur villages participated in the protest.

“The construction of toll plaza will make it difficult for residents of 20 villages to access the Jamalpur road. If the exit on NH48 is closed, the residents will have to take a detour of around 15 kilometres to 20 kilometres,” said another protester.

Yogesh Tilak, project director, NHAI, said that they previously held discussions with villagers and assured them of constructing an underpass, but “it will take some time”.

“The location at Pachgaon is complex as an RRTS station is coming. The toll plaza is also now coming up at this location and the train coming along the KMP Expressway also is passing through Pachgaon. We had to stop work on the flyover as the toll plaza is being constructed at this location. We will construct an underpass and provide connectivity to the villagers with Jamalpur road,” he said.

Tilak said the toll plaza at Pachgaon is likely to become operational in January 2026.