Home buyers, investors move HC for early completion of Dwarka Expressway

NEW DELHI: Home buyers and investors in residential and commercial projects across Dwarka Expressway in Gurgaon have moved Punjab & Haryana High Court for early completion of the expressway.

DXP Welfare Association representing home buyers and investors from over 20 projects has filed the civil writ petition on February 16 against Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA), National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and Department of Town & Country Planning (DTCP), Haryana.

The association has demanded the overall status of external development charges (EDC) and infrastructure development charges (IDC) collection from DTCP for the development of basic infrastructure like water, electricity, sewage system, etc, across Dwarka Expressway in the sectors of new Gurgaon such as Sector 37 and Sector 81 to 115.

"The major demand of association from HUDA & NHAI is time-bound completion plan under court monitoring panel for early completion of Dwarka Expressway Road which has been delayed by more than 8 years," Yashesh Yadav, President, DXP Welfare Association.

The court also issued notices in the matter to the Ministry of Road Transport & Highway (MoRTH), HUDA, NHAI and DTCP after hearing the submissions, according to Amish Tandan, the lawyer appearing on behalf of the association.

Dwarka Expressway or Northern Peripheral Road, proposed in 2009, was to be completed by March 31, 2012, but got delayed due to land acquisition issues. The 18-km long expressway has 14 km falling under Gurugram and remaining 4 km under Delhi.

HUDA had allotted 269 plots to expressway oustees through draw of lots between July and August last year, which included around 60 general power of attorney (GPA) and special power of attorney (SPA) holders from a pool of 465 applicants.

However, the Punjab and Haryana high court in October stayed the issue of allotment letters to oustees, who did not have original title deeds in October, while hearing a petition filed by Satyendra Singh, one of the oustees. The court in November then sought all documents including the GPAs/SPAs on the basis of which allotment was made.

Huda has now filed early petition in GPA, SPA case. NHAI on its part has started the land acquisition process to construct the incomplete portion of the Dwarka expressway in Delhi.

In March last year, union transport minister Nitin Gadkari had also accorded national highway status to the Dwarka Expressway stretch.