Around eight RWAs of New Gurugram have written a letter to Chief Minister of Haryana Manohar Lal Khattar asking him to withdraw an FIR registered against the residents of several societies of the area for blocking the Kherki Dhaula toll plaza on October 2. The blocking of road resulted in traffic jam during the morning hours.
RWAs of Sectors 82 and 83 on Wednesday met Deputy Commissioner (DC) Amit Khatri and submitted the letter requesting him to withdraw the case lodged against the residents and reinstate the revenue road which was used by the residents to go to bypass toll.
Abhay Mitra, executive member of K-block of Vatika, said, “We have apprised the Deputy Commissioner about the issue and requested him to withdraw the case against the residents. The residents were only demonstrating silent protest against the toll company. They never intended to take the protest on the national highway, however an FIR has been registered against them.”
An FIR was lodged against seven protesters, while 200 people were identified by the police in the matter. SL Singhal, another member of RWA, said, “Everyone has the right to protest in a democracy, but now they are living under fear. They are scared to even speak anything on the matter. They are the working people who do not want to be a part of any politics. We requested the DC to provide some relief to us.”
In their letter, they highlighted that air pollution from vehicles at the toll was posing health risks. They also pointed out that Millennium City Expressway Private Limited (MCEPL), the concessionaire for the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway, has already recovered its cost from the toll still they were paying Rs.130 every time they crossed the toll.
During the meeting they also requested the DC to reinstate the revenue road which was dismantled by the toll company on October 1. They claimed that they were being forced to pay the toll every time they commuted from their home to other part of the city.
Amrit Lal Khattar, another resident said, “The road was crucial to thousands of residents living in Sectors 81-115 as it helped them to avoid toll tax every day. When administration can exempt villagers from paying the toll then why not us. As locals, we should be treated equally as others.”
Later, the RWAs also met commissioner of Police, Mohammed Akil, and handed over a memorandum seeking his intervention on the matter.
