Top court summons Gzb SSP over delay in eastern e-way

The Supreme Court summoned on Monday the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of Ghaziabad after the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) complained that it was unable to construct the Eastern Peripheral Expressway due to protests by farmers and lack of police protection.

NHAI counsel, senior advocate Indu Malhotra, informed a bench led by Justice MB Lokur that work had stopped in a 25-km stretch due to which the authority might miss the deadline to complete the work by July 2018.

The farmers have been protesting against acquisition of land for the project. Malhotra said the farmers had no reason to demonstrate because compensation has already been disbursed to them.

The 135-km expressway envisages signal-free connectivity between Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Gautam Budh Nagar (Greater Noida) and Palwal.

The expressway was planned as an alternative route for dieselspewing trucks entering Delhi.

Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar, however, said the Director General of Police (DGP) apprised him that there was no blockage on the stretch.

Even the UP government counsel refuted the NHAI’s allegations.

But, on the insistence of the authority the bench asked for the SSP’s personal presence to explain why no adequate protection was provided to the officials and workers at the site.

The NHAI recalled an earlier SC order, directing the DGP of UP police to provide security for construction work of the expressway and said it had been flouted.

Regarding the 135-km long Western Peripheral Expressway, which connects Kundli to Palwal via Manesar in Haryana, the court was informed that the stretch from Palwal to Manesar was ready and the portion from Manesar to Kundli was under construction.