Operator, NHAI kiss and make up, sign agreement

Commuters braving the massive traffic snarls on the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway may be in for some relief with the expressway operator agreeing to the decongestion plan prepared by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).

Commuters braving the massive traffic snarls on the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway may be in for some relief with the expressway operator agreeing to the decongestion plan prepared by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).

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With this the dispute between NHAI and the operator has also come to a close. The NHAI on Tuesday informed the Delhi high court that it would withdraw the lease termination order issued to the operator, as they had settled all their differences. Drawing curtains on the nine-month old row, lawyers representing NHAI and the operator, Delhi-Gurgaon Super Connectivity Ltd (DGSCL), submitted before justice S Muralidhar that they have signed a memorandum of understanding to this effect.

“With the signing of the MoU, it is understood by the parties that the termination notice dated December 7, 2011 and the subsequent termination order dated Feburary 18 issued by the NHAI to the concessionaire stands withdrawn,” the court said. The financiers of the project, Infrastructure Development Finance Company Ltd, which has provided a credit facility of R1,597 crore to the developer, also signed the MoU.

The NHAI board had reportedly proposed that number of trips for frequent commuters should be brought down to 40 a month against the existing 60 trips as regular commuters like office-goers don’t take the road all 30 days in a month and 15-20 trips are lapsed.Ministry of road transport and highways had decided to terminate the contract of the operator with the NHAI for violating terms of agreement, including failure to decongest the expressway.

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