Palam Vihar locals protest highway plan

Hundreds of protesters blocked a portion of the busy Mahavir Chowk near the Gurgaon bus terminus to protest against the Haryana government’s acquisition of land in the New Palam Vihar area in order to construct a six-lane highway between Dwarka and Manesar as part of the 2021 Master Plan. Protesters claimed that almost 200 homes, several schools and holy shrines would be pulled down in the process. 

Kiran Kandpal, member of the New Palam Vihar Resistance Committee, said: ‘‘We have been protesting against the government’s decision for over a year and sent deputations to the local MLA, MP, the CM and even the President of India. But, we were given notice to vacate our houses through local newspapers. We have approached Punjab and Haryana High Court. Our hearing is on July 17. However, since we have already been served notices, we are forced to hit the streets.’’ Residents alleged that no proper survey of the land was carried out before deciding.