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Residents of 11 HUDA sectors and 16 villages along the Gurgaon Expressway are on the war path, reports Sanjeev K Ahuja.

Residents of 11 HUDA sectors and 16 villages along the Gurgaon Expressway are on the war path.

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They have threatened to obstruct traffic movement on the Expressway and prevent toll tax collection if the National Highway Authority (NHAI) did not come up with a satisfactory response to the demand for construction of crossover facilities such as flyovers between Rajiv Chowk and 42nd Stone stretch by January 5.

Residents of these areas, led by resident welfare associations, panchyats and social organisations such as Mission Gurgaon Development and Federation of RWAs (FORWA), held a meeting on this issue on Sunday.

“Despite numerous assurances, the flyovers on the Expressway Hans Enclave, Hero Honda Chowk, Khandsa-Behrampur Crossing, Narsingpur and Kherki Dhaula have not been constructed. This has put the citizens of these areas to great inconvenience and has resulted in many accidents; some of which have been fatal. The highway has been built without taking into consideration the needs of the people living along this 5.5-km stretch between Rajiv Chowk and Kherki Daula toll plaza,” said R.S. Rathee of Mission Gurgaon Development.

Dharam Sagar, chairman of FORWA, said NHAI had been given time till January 5 for replying on the status of the proposed. “After this the residents will have no option but to start an agitation including blocking of traffic and prevention of collection of toll at the plazas on the highway,” he added.

R.K. Singh, chief general manager NHAI, said that NHAI was working on three alternatives for this stretch. An option he said was to raise the 5.5-km stretch by about 8.5 meters above the existing road in an eight-lane mode allowing the long route traffic to use the elevated stretch. The second option is construction of five flyovers. “The third option is to construct more foot overbridges on this stretch,” he added.