Expressway toll plaza: HC tells authorities to find solution on Nov 19

CHANDIGARH: Unhappy over the existing measures to check traffic snarls near the toll plaza on Delhi-Gurgaon expressway, Punjab and Haryana high court on Friday directed the authorities to sit together on November 19 to work out a strategy for solving the issue permanently.
A division bench, headed by Justice S K Mittal, has also made it clear that if the authorities concerned failed to find any workable solution, the court may again issue directives exempting commuters from paying the toll during peak hours.The court has directed National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), Gurgaon police, Delhi Gurgaon Super Connectivity Limited (DGSCL) and HUDA administrator to hold a meeting on Monday at 11am at Gurgaon police headquarters to find a solution.
Gurgaon police have been asked to file a report on the issue on December 4, the next date of hearing. Concessionaires of DGSCL have also been directed to inform the court about the kind of electronic cards used by them to cross the plaza, any concession offered to commuters using such cards and the possibility of any new electronic cards that can be introduced to ease congestion. Gurgaon police commissioner K K Sandhu, ACP (traffic) Ravinder Tomar and HUDA administrator Dr Praveen Kumar were present in the court.
The court, however, absolved Praveen Kumar and Ravinder Tomar of contempt proceedings after they explained the reasons for removing the barricades near Ambience mall in "defiance" of HC directives. Both the officers were issued notices by the HC for removing barricades near the mall and permitting L-turn in violation of HC orders.
In its October 8 order, HC had made it clear that the U-turn on the expressway (from Jaipur to enter into Ambience mall) will not be used for L-turn (to gain entry into the mall). The bench also told the concessionaires of DGSCL that barriers of the toll plaza may be opened for five minutes during heavy traffic to ease vehicular congestion at the plaza.