This came shortly after the 48-hour deadline, given by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) to the 242 alleged encroachers, had expired.

The Panchkula administration was prepared for action with a number of JCB machines and police personnel stationed when last-minute orders of the apex court brought a major relief for the residents of Kalka.

“We had moved a special leave petition in the apex court against the demolition orders. Before the authorities reached the spot to demolish the structures, we considered it wise to clear the encroachments ourselves. After a short while, however, we received news of the Supreme Court stay on the demolition process,” said Rajesh Kumar, a resident of Kalka.

While the NHAI received the stay orders around 1 pm, Project Director K P Sharma said that they preferred not to intervene as people had voluntarily started removing the encroachments.