Axed by Purohit, green corridor work resumes in Chandigarh

Envisaged under the Chandigarh Master Plan-2031, the 8-km green corridor, equipped with a lighting facility, will connect the Capitol Complex in Sector 1 to Sector 56, running along N-Choe from the northern to the southern parts of the city

Over a year after former UT administrator Banwarilal Purohit suspended the non-motorised transport (NMT) green corridor project, the UT administration has resumed it with the assurance that no trees will be felled.

Fourteen months after work was suspended in Sept 2023, Chandigarh administration has restarted the project with no-tree-felling promise. (HT Photo)

Work on the project, estimated to cost around ₹5 crore, has already commenced and is expected to be completed within six months.

Envisaged under the Chandigarh Master Plan-2031, the 8-km green corridor, equipped with a lighting facility, will connect the Capitol Complex in Sector 1 to Sector 56, running along N-Choe from the northern to the southern parts of the city.

Last year, work on the project had begun in June, but in September, Purohit had suspended it, following a complaint lodged with the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) regarding the alleged felling of trees for the project.

In the complaint filed by a Chandigarh resident, it was alleged that trees had been felled for the project in violation of environmental norms. The complainant claimed that over 200 trees were axed to facilitate construction of the first green corridor. Acting on the complaint, the PMO had directed the administration to take “appropriate action”.

It is also aimed at providing safer and more accessible environment for pedestrians and cyclists. In total, 11 NMT such corridors are proposed across the city, with work on the first corridor commencing on June 1 last year. Former UT adviser Dharam Pal had presided over the ground-breaking ceremony, but the project eventually faced the axe.

Now, UT chief engineer CB Ojha said, “We received the go-ahead last week and have resumed the project. We have given an undertaking that no trees will be felled for this project. It will be completed within six months.”