House vs highway – Family home disrupts billion-dollar Delhi-Dehradun exit amid legal dispute

Unexpected Obstruction on a Modern Expressway

The newly inaugurated Delhi-Dehradun Expressway has hit an unexpected hurdle: a two-storey house named ‘Swabhiman,’ standing firm in Mandola village, Ghaziabad district of Uttar Pradesh.

Footage captured on Tuesday shows vehicles traveling through the expressway, slowing down to a cautious speed at the Mandola village bottleneck as they pass by the house.

The homeowners have refused to sell their property, triggering a long-running legal dispute and leaving a crucial exit ramp obstructed – forcing traffic to divert onto a temporary bypass.

Homeowners Speak Out Amid Legal Dispute

“They didn’t even talk to us,” said Jaipal Singh, a house caretaker. I even touched the feet of the highways department head. He folded his hands. I went to him many times.”

“They will forcibly include it and demolish it for free. That’s why we filed a case in the court. Now he has to go to court,” he continued.

The house obstructs a 90-metre stretch of the project. While it is often described as being ‘in the middle’ of the highway, it does not significantly block the main six-lane expressway itself.

“What is the problem with the people? They have made an alternative road for the people. Go from there. The road is starting from the front,” Singh commented.

“If any citizen of this country were in our place, if the government came, demolished their home, made them homeless, and didn’t pay compensation, what would they do?” He asked.

A Long-Standing Land Conflict Resurfaces

The dispute dates back to 1998, when the Uttar Pradesh Housing Board offered 1,100 rupees per square metre (US$12) for land acquisition. While most landowners accepted this offer, Dr Veersen Saroha contested it in court and secured a stay order on his 1,600-square-metre plot.

Although the original housing scheme never materialised, the stay order remained in effect. When the state later transferred the land to the National Highways Authority of India for the expressway project, that legal protection carried over.

Today, Saroha’s grandson, Lakshyaveer Saroha, and niece, Pooja Nehra, continue to lead the fight. They insist they are not opposed to development, but are seeking compensation aligned with current 2026 market rates rather than valuations dating back to 1998.

As the legal battle persists, the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway continues to operate below full capacity.