A day after closure, U-turn at Kherki Daula reopened after public complaints
A day after closing the U-turn at Kherki Daula toll plaza, the Gururgam administration reopened it on Friday night after a number of residents complained about congestion and visitors jams. Skylark, the freeway toll operator, stated that administration and police groups got here to the plaza and bought the U-turn opened. The U flip was closed on the advice of the Nationwide Highways Authority of India (NHAI) because of the excessive danger of accidents on the website.
The U-turn in query is on the carriageway from Jaipur in direction of Delhi that commuters use to go in direction of Manesar and take sector roads to Naurangpur, Badshahpur and Sohna Highway. This flip can be taken by commuters going to Sectors 69 to 74 alongside the Southern Peripheral Highway (SPR).
NHAI officers didn’t reply to requests for a touch upon the reopening of the U-turn on Friday.
“The U-turn has been reopened for motion of autos,” stated Virender Vij, deputy commissioner of police, visitors. “The U-turn was reopened round 3.30 pm on Friday by the police and administration group,” stated Kripal Singh, senior supervisor, Skylark.
The closure of the U-turn on Thursday, with out prior announcement, led to massive visitors jams within the afternoon and night as a number of autos which didn’t want to pay the toll rotated and drove on the improper facet to return to Manesar and take one other route. “A number of residents complained concerning the issues as a consequence of this highway closure so larger authorities determined to reopen the U-turn,” stated a visitors police officer at Kherki Daula.
On Friday morning, a number of residents from Gurugram sectors 70 to 74 met the Gurugram deputy commissioner and visitors police chief and apprised them concerning the issues brought on by the closure of the U-turn. “We met the deputy commissioner, Gururgam, and police authorities and knowledgeable them concerning the heavy congestion and jams on the toll plaza as a consequence of closure of U-turn. We’re grateful to authorities for taking a wise resolution and reopening the highway,” stated Jaspreet Singh, resident of Umang Winter Hills condominium, which is adjoining to the freeway.
Singh stated that residents of at the very least 40 condominiums in sectors alongside SPR and Rampura Highway have been badly affected by the transfer as they needed to journey an additional five-six kilometres to achieve their houses after paying the toll.
“The closure of U-turn was not required and it ought to have been prevented,” stated Rahul Kumar, a commuter.
NHAI on Thursday had stated it additionally deliberate to shut one other U-turn at Kherki Daula by subsequent week.
On Thursday, a senior NHAI official had stated that in April 2024, they’d requested the Gurugram district administration to “urgently and instantly” shut the 2 U-turns after the Ministry of Highway Transport and Highways (MoRTH) recognized the websites as visitors black spots. They raised the difficulty once more within the district highway security committee assembly held in December, citing questions of safety, after which one of many U-turns was closed on Thursday.
Gurugram deputy commissioner Ajay Kumar, who’s the pinnacle of the district highway security committee, didn’t reply to HT’s cellphone calls and messages searching for a response on why NHAI’s suggestions weren’t acted on between Thursday and April 2024.
In keeping with information compiled by Gurugram Imaginative and prescient Zero, Kherki Daula witnessed 28 crashes within the final three years earlier than 2024 of which 12 have been deadly. In 2023, there was one crash, in 2022 there have been 13 crashes of which 5 have been deadly and in 2021 there have been 14 crashes with seven fatalities.
The letter cited by NHAI officers based mostly on which the U-turn was shut on Thursday was despatched by NHAI undertaking director, Dwarka PIU, to the Gurugram district administration in April 2024. It stated, “Form consideration is drawn in direction of proven fact that Kherki Daula is a MoRTH recognized Black Spot [ID no. HR-037 (2011-2014)]. From an engineering perspective, the explanation for accidents at Kherki Daula was recognized as U-turns (by way of median cuts) earlier than and after Consumer Payment Plaza at km 42.00 of NH-48. Thus, in view of the highway security of freeway customers and to forestall the accidents, assist from district administration is required for closure of stated median cuts and U-turns simply earlier than and after the Kherki Daula Consumer Payment Plaza are closed/barricaded and the improper facet visitors actions are curbed.”
The letter additionally stated that the matter is being monitored by a Supreme Court docket committee on highway security and quick pressing motion is important for closure of stated median cuts. “Because the matter is being monitored by Hon’ble Supreme Court docket Committee on Highway Security, a direct pressing motion is important for closure of stated median cuts. Accordingly, it’s kindly requested to nominate a Responsibility Justice of the Peace for facilitating the inserting of barricades/restoring the median within the neighborhood of the Kherki Daula Consumer Payment Plaza to scale back the accidents for this MoRTH recognized Black Spot,” the letter written by NHAI stated.
