ROAD PROPOSAL IN ARAVALLI PARK: NGO WRITES TO KHATTAR, NHAI

A Delhi-based NGO has recently written to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and to Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar demanding an explanation for the proposal of two link roads that will cut across Aravalli Biodiversity Park in Gurgaon.

“They should treat my letter as a legal notice. I will be filing a petition before NGT very soon,” said Anil Sood, the president of the NGO, Chetna. “There is no need for so many link roads. They just need to correct the design errors NHAI has committed in the past. The Aravali Biodiversity Park and trees on Dwarka expressway both need to be protected. How can they be felled to build roads?”

“Media reports say both NHAI and Gurgaon Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) are proposing roads through the Aravali Biodiversity park,” the letter from Chetna says.

“GMDA is proposing to undertake widening of Dwarka Expressway by constructing underpass and elevated roads to decongest Delhi. At the outset, it appears that the whole exercise lacks application of mind by both the authorities without even assessing the basic reasons (that are) leading to traffic congestion,” the letter says.

Sood points out that a person travelling from Subroto Park towards Gurugram runs into an abrupt merger and de-merger of roads to access and exit the service lane. As one moves further along, hotels and shops have encroached upon the service lane for parking vehicles. Sood gives several instances of bottlenecks and design flaws on the highway before and after the Mahipalpur flyover and the Rajokri exit as well. Other environmentalists have also started mobilising residents to campaign for cancellation of the NHAI proposal.

Both the roads are part of a plan to decongest Delhi, especially of highway traffic.