By IANS,
New Delhi : The Supreme Court Wednesday temporarily suspended the demolition of a private building the authorities say is hindering the construction of a 22-lane toll collection plaza on the Gurgaon-Delhi Expressway.
A vacation bench of judges C.K. Thakkar and L.S. Panta stopped the central government from demolishing the building on a lawsuit by its owner contending that the toll plaza could be built without acquiring the land on which the building stands.
The bench also issued notice to the National Highway Authority of India, Gurgaon’s sub-divisional magistrate and contractor Jaypee DSC Ventures that is building the plaza and the road leading to it. The expressway links the national capital to the Golden Quadrilateral highway complex.
Building owner Brig (retd) S.S. Yadav contended in his petition that the government did not need to acquire his land and building to construct what was originally intended to be an 18-lane toll plaza – nine lanes on each side of the central verge – but was later expanded to a 22-lane plaza.
Quoting from letters written to him by the NHAI chairman, Yadav, who owns a garment manufacturing plant in the building, said that the NHAI needed a maximum of 50.5 metres of land on either side of the central verge to build the originally planned 18-lane toll plaza.
However, the NHAI and the contractor, just to acquire his land, shifted the central verge by six metres towards his side and changed the original plan of the toll plaza by including the construction of their own office at the spot, Yadav contended in his petition.
The apex court will hear the lawsuit after its vacation ends in July.