The Punjab and Haryana high court has ordered fresh parleys between stakeholders on constructing the shortest route between Chandigarh city and the international airport in Mohali, reducing travel by up to 15 km.“The shortest alternative route suggested earlier, on which there was broad consensus between the parties would have reduced the distance from Chandigarh city to the airport by almost 15 kilometers.
The alignment which was earlier agreed upon, is now being objected to partly by the state of Punjab, Chandigarh International Airport Limited (CHIAL) on the ground that a certain additional area for airport expansion is likely to be situated on the proposed road itself,” the bench of chief justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and justice Rohit Kapoor observed.
“If that be so, the parties can well suggest some change in the alignment while substantially following the shortest route as suggested earlier by leaving aside that part of the land, which is to be utilised for the expansion of the airport,” it further said asking Punjab, CHIAL, Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA), UT administration and Airports Authority of India (AAI) to hold a meeting on to finalise the road alignment on the shortest route by excluding areas which are proposed to be utilised for airport expansion till 2047.
The court was hearing a petition pending since 2015 on airport infrastructure.
{{/usCountry}}The court was hearing a petition pending since 2015 on airport infrastructure.
{{/usCountry}}Agreed upon earlier, the direct link between Sector 48 and the airport would have brought down travel time between Chandigarh and airport from 25 minutes to 5 minutes. The demand for this road started in 2016-17, mainly from Haryana and Chandigarh, to reduce travel time between Panchkula, Chandigarh and the airport.
Later, after a study, a route was finalised, which was to start from Sector 48, and current distance between Chandigarh and the airport, 11.5 km, was to come down to only 3.5 km, thereby bringing the travel time down from 25 minutes to merely 5 minutes.
Initially, the Punjab government also agreed and the then UT administrator in 2022 had given “in principle” nod for the project. The central government had also cleared it. However, in 2023, the Punjab government and subsequently, the CHIAL changed its stand.
The Punjab government proposed a 164-foot-wide parallel road between the airport and Bawa White House, which is still under construction. The 8.5 km road run parallel to the present airport road (PR-7) starts at Bawa White House in Mohali’s Phase 9, Industrial Area.
The ₹125-crore project was pitched as an alternative route to the airport by Punjab in place of the one agreed upon in 2022. However, it does not give much relief to travellers from Panchkula and Chandigarh trying to catch flights as the distance almost remains the same.
During the hearing on October 14, the court also observed that it appears that a consensus for providing an alternative route to access Chandigarh airport had been worked out earlier “as is reflected from the order of this court dated 25-05-2023”, even as some lawyers associated with the case termed stand of CHIAL and Punjab as contemptuous.
On the other hand, CHIAL and Punjab tried to clarify that some portion of land that falls under the proposed shortest route is part of airport expansion plans that could be required for expansion of the airport post 2047.
The October 27 meeting will be chaired by senior counsel ML Sarin, who is an amicus curiae in the case and the outcome of the meeting is to be intimated to the court on November 2.