Gurgaon: The plan to relocate the Kherki Daula toll plaza has run into rough weather, with villagers in Pachgaon rejecting National Highways Authority of India’s (NHAI) proposal on the road infrastructure required for the shift.After the Kukrola site came under scrutiny, NHAI revisited Pachgaon and proposed the elevated U-turn as a revised option, stating it would address safety concerns and reduce conflict points on the highway while enabling the toll shift.In Jan, Union minister and local MP Rao Inderjit Singh asked NHAI to expedite the relocation. Following this, NHAI officials, along with the district administration, held a meeting with villagers in Pachgaon recently. A senior NHAI official said, “We met villagers and shared a proposal to construct an elevated U-turn facility to ensure safe cross-road movement and smoother traffic flow. This will also allow us the space required for setting up the toll plaza. However, the villagers did not agree and are demanding a flyover at the junction as per the original plan. The situation remains unresolved and the decision on the site is awaited.”Residents argued that the Pachgaon junction already handles heavy traffic and needs a flyover to streamline movement and reduce accident risk. They opposed setting up a toll plaza there without grade separation and insisted that the flyover plan should be executed first. Residents also pointed out that the junction is a key connector for traffic moving between Rohtak, Jamalpur, Tauru and Nuh, and any disruption could affect both local and through movement. Pachgaon Chowk Committee president Hoshiyar Singh said, “We have not accepted NHAI’s proposal. Our demand is clear that we need a flyover at the junction as originally planned. We don’t have an objection to the toll plaza as such. If NHAI wants, it can even demolish the existing pedestrian underpass and build the toll plaza, but the flyover should be constructed as planned.”The renewed deadlock came months after NHAI’s plan to shift the toll plaza to Kukrola was put on hold. In Oct last year, concerns were flagged about the proposed site’s proximity to the NSG campus and other security establishments, forcing the authority to pause the process. Kukrola was identified as an alternative after NHAI dropped its earlier proposal to shift the toll to Pachgaon, around 13km from the current location, following strong local opposition in Aug.The toll plaza currently handles heavy daily traffic, including a large volume of commercial vehicles. Officials said while NHAI wants to finalise a viable site for the relocation, repeated objections at different locations have narrowed the options. The final decision on the relocation will now be taken at higher levels of the state govt, the officials said.The relocation of the Kherki Daula toll plaza was under discussion for years, primarily to reduce congestion at the existing location and address long-standing complaints from residents of new sectors and commuters working in Manesar’s industrial belt, for whom toll charges remain a sore point.
