Anti-demolition protests choke Gurgaon expressway
By IANSMonday, February 7, 2011
GURGAON - Traffic on the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway was Monday thrown out of gear during the morning and evening hours due to a sudden rush of motorists who tried to avoid other road links between Gurgaon and Delhi that were blocked by people protesting against the demolition of over 12,000 “illegal” properties.
The protesters started blocking traffic around 10 a.m. at Bata Chowk and Atul Kataria Chowk that connect Gurgaon to Old Delhi Road. The agitation ended around 6 p.m.
The agitators were protesting against the administration’s decision to demolish the “illegal” properties built in a restricted area close to an Indian Air Force (IAF) facility.
The properties are spread over four colonies and fall within 900 metres of the IAF facility.
In view of the public resistance, the demolition scheduled for the day was postponed by the administration.
“We are not going to let the authorities demolish our houses,” said Shraddha, a resident of Ashok Vihar, one of the colonies likely to face demolition.
Other areas likely to face action include Sheetala colony, Sukhrali Enclave, Sanjay gram and Marble market.
“It took me three hours to cover a distance of one km (in the morning),” said Ketan, an employee of a MNC in sector 18 who reported late to office.
On the expressway, the traffic movement was slow in both the directions — from Gurgaon-Delhi and vice-versa. The situation eased briefly around 2 p.m. but was back to the same in the evening.
Traffic movement on the expressway returned to normal gradually after the protesters ended their agitation around 6 p.m. The Old Delhi Road was also used by motorists.
