Construction of the 212-kilometer-long Delhi-Dehradun Expressway is almost complete and is likely to open by June. But a single house in Ghaziabad has become a major hurdle, pushing back the project.
This problem traces back to the 1990s when Mandola, a village on the Delhi-Ghaziabad border, was being cleared following a notification in 1998 by the Uttar Pradesh Housing Board to take over 2,614 acres from six villages for the Mandola Housing Scheme.
Among the properties was a 1,600-square-meter property belonging to Veersen Saroha. While most landowners had accepted compensation, Veersen contested the takeover in the Allahabad High Court, which put a stay on the takeover of his property.
Delays and protests eventually stopped the housing project over time, and Veersen‘s property remained untouched. Years later, when the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) asked for land to build the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway, the housing board transferred all the land that had been purchased, including Veersen‘s plot.
With the majority of the expressway done, Veersen‘s residence is still in the way, holding up construction. An NHAI official confirmed that construction has not progressed because legal action continues, as the family took the case to the Supreme Court.
The government initially promised Rs 1,100 per square meter in compensation for the housing scheme, which 94% of property owners had taken. But Veersen and others wanted more. In 2007, he had approached the Allahabad High Court in a petition to receive a higher payout. While the case took long, the housing board, in 2010, had been forced to cut his land off from the scheme.
Veersen died before the issue was settled, and it remained unresolved for years. In 2020, when NHAI required land in and around Mandola for an expressway ramp, the housing board handed over Veersen‘s plot to them.
Though, in 2024, Lakshyaveer, Veersen‘s grandson, had challenged the transfer in the Supreme Court on the grounds that the housing board did not have the right to transfer the land. The matter has been now referred to the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court with April 16 fixed for hearing.
The Supreme Court has sought a speedy resolution by invoking the importance of the expressway to public interest.
