Centre seeks fresh Tribune Flyover proposal from Chandigarh admn

After HC vacated stay on cutting of trees for the project, UT had written to the Centre for an extension; in response, the ministry has sought a fresh proposal for the long-pending project

Days after the Punjab and Haryana high court vacated the 2019 stay on cutting of trees for the Tribune Flyover, the UT administration wrote afresh to the Union ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH) for an extension of the project.

The flyover is being touted as a solution to the traffic mess in the vicinity of the busy Tribune Chowk that sees movement of more than 1.5 lakh vehicles daily. (HT File Photo)

In response, the ministry has now sought a fresh proposal for the long-pending project from the UT administration.

While allowing UT to proceed with the project in the manner in which it deems fit, the HC bench of acting chief justice GS Sandhawalia and justice Lapita Banerji had also told UT to decide itself whether to associate the earlier contractor or call for fresh bids.

Having decided to float a fresh tender, the administration wrote to the ministry for an extension, as the last one was granted in 2019 and the work was to be allotted within one year, said a senior officer of the UT administration.

“Since the matter was in court and the stay was vacated just last week, we sought another extension. The ministry has requested clarification on the entire project and even asked for the court order. Once we receive approval from the ministry, we will proceed with the project. After allotting the tender, we are optimistic of completing it within 18 months,” the official said.

On November 20, 2019, the high court had stayed cutting of trees, acting on the plea of a local NGO, The Run Club, that had challenged UT’s proposal to cut trees for the project.

Over four years later, the high court recently lifted the stay on cutting trees for the project.

While discussing problems due to traffic from Panchkula and Zirakpur, the court had said, “The need as such is to ease the traffic in such situation, rather than to block the development. The stay…has taken Chandigarh back by a decade. In such circumstances, we are of the considered opinion that it has led not only to cost overruns but also ensured that the town has not progressed and developed which is the need of the hour.”

In the works since 2016

The central government had approved the Tribune Flyover in 2016. The 1.6 km-long flyover is proposed to be built from near the GMCH-32 roundabout up to the railway overbridge on Dakshin Marg after passing over Tribune Chowk. It is being touted as a solution to the traffic mess in the vicinity of the busy Tribune Chowk that sees movement of more than 1.5 lakh vehicles daily.

Initially, the UT administration had planned a 7-km flyover, but the Centre reduced the length to 3.5 km. Later, the Union ministry of road transport and highways further reduced the length to 1.6 km. Then UT administrator VP Singh Badnore had laid the foundation stone of the ₹137-crore project on March 3, 2019.