The Punjab and Haryana High Court has issued a significant order refusing to impede the progress of the development of the Punjab section of the Delhi-Katra expressway, including the green field connectivity to Amritsar.
The Division Bench of Justice Lisa Gill and Justice Ritu Tagore dismissed the plea for interim relief, stating that no grounds were found to scuttle the project.
In a recent hearing, the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s Division Bench, comprising Justice Lisa Gill and Justice Ritu Tagore, has turned down a petition seeking to halt the construction of the Punjab section of the Delhi-Katra expressway, which also involves the development of green field connectivity to Amritsar. The court ruled against granting any interim relief, asserting that there were no valid grounds to disrupt the project.
Next date of HC hearing:
The next hearing on the matter, filed by petitioner Darshan Singh and 126 others, has been scheduled for July 10. During the hearing, counsel C.S. Bagri, representing the petitioners, raised concerns about the demolition of residential houses and other structures without the proper compensation awarded through a supplementary award.
On the other side, senior advocate Chetan Mittal, along with counsels Abhilaksh Gaind, Rakesh Roy, and Mayank Aggarwal, representing the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), contended that only one residential house was affected, with its main structure located outside the alignment. The boundary wall was the only part falling within the alignment.
The court was also informed by the NHAI that a supplementary award had been issued by the competent authority regarding the concerned boundary wall. A table was presented to the court to address the petitioners’ claims regarding other structures, such as tube-wells and bore-wells, which they asserted were present along the expressway route.
Furthermore, it was revealed that some petitioners had not submitted any claims regarding the structures in question. In other cases, awards for the affected structures had already been passed between June and August 2022. The NHAI emphasized the national importance of the project in its defense.
The proposed Delhi-Katra expressway project is estimated to cost Rs 40,000 crore and will span 669 kilometers as a four-lane, access-controlled green field expressway. The objective of the project is to significantly reduce travel time, aiming for a two-hour journey from Delhi to Chandigarh and a four-hour journey from Delhi to Amritsar.
Punjab and Haryana HC’s decision:
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has declined to grant interim relief in response to a petition seeking to halt the ongoing development of the Punjab section of the Delhi-Katra expressway, including the green field connectivity to Amritsar. The court has fixed the next hearing date for July 10, while the National Highway Authority of India emphasized the project’s national importance. The expressway, with an estimated cost of Rs 40,000 crore, aims to reduce travel time between major cities, with a two-hour target for Delhi to Chandigarh and four hours for Delhi to Amritsar.