The Supreme Court Friday asked the union transport secretary and the Uttar Pradesh chief secretary to “sit together” to remove various hurdles in executing the Eastern Peripheral Expressway around Delhi to keep the capital free of heavy traffic.
A bench of Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan, Justice S.H. Kapadia and Justice Aftab Alam gave the direction to the two bureaucrats of the central and the state government after it was told that no worthwhile progress has been made in the execution of the project.
Apprising the court of the progress so far, the court appointed special counsel Harish Salve said though Haryana has acquired the requisite land for the expressway in various districts through which the expressway is to pass, the Uttar Pradesh government is showing no interest in execution of the project and is yet to acquire the land needed.
Eastern Peripheral Expressway is to bypass Delhi, relieving it of the burden of heavy traffic every day.
