Decks cleared for Pataudi-Rewari-Gurgaon expressway
The Supreme Court has given the green signal to restart the construction and highway widening work on the Pataudi-Rewari-Gurgaon Expressway, which was halted last year by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) over compensatory afforestation. The four-lane 43km long highway project connecting Gurugram, Rewari, and Pataudi was started in July 2020. NHAI has been permitted by the court to go ahead with the highway work and remove trees wherever required. The court also directed the Haryana government to take the consent of both NHAI and the respondents (environmentalists) in the case before carrying out plantation. The court has asked NHAI to involve the respondents in identifying land to plant saplings. A senior NHAI official has said that the court decision will help the authority to expedite the work on the highway. NHAI was working at spots where trees were not required to be removed but now the agency has the permission to remove the trees with the help of state authorities.