E-Paper
Chandigarh Master Plan against flyover construction: Petitioner to HC
The petitioners’ counsel, Tanu Bedi, submitted that the plan instead envisions Chandigarh as a pedestrian- and cycle-friendly green city
The Chandigarh Master Plan 2031 opposes the construction of flyovers within the city, petitioners challenging the project told the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday.
Referring to the detailed document on transport-related issues in the master plan notified in 2015, the petitioners’ counsel, Tanu Bedi, submitted that the plan instead envisions Chandigarh as a pedestrian- and cycle-friendly green city.
Bedi argued that the administration has not conducted any fresh study on vehicular traffic on city roads and that the flyover planning is based on data used in the 2015 master plan. The plan had recommended increasing the share of public transport from 16% to 70% by 2041 and establishing Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) corridors along Dakshin Marg. She pointed out that the vehicular load ratio on Dakshin Marg was 0.7, much lower than Madhya Marg’s 1.2 or Udyog Path’s 1.1, where the flyover has been proposed.
She further submitted that other solutions such as constructing a ring road or introducing rapid transit systems were not considered by the administration, which instead chose to build a flyover - against which the city’s planners had advised.
During the hearing, the chief justice questioned the administration’s approach to proceeding with the flyover project. “The Chandigarh Master Plan is literally screaming against flyovers,” observed chief justice Sheel Nagu.
However, UT’s senior standing counsel, Amit Jhanji, told the court that the project had been cleared by the heritage panel, adding that the master plan’s reference to flyovers was a recommendation, not a prohibition.
The hearing was adjourned to next week. The UT administration has already concluded its arguments, submitting that the much-awaited Tribune Flyover project does not fall within the city’s heritage zone – comprising Sectors 1 to 30, known as the Le Corbusier Zone. The project aims to decongest Dakshin Marg, which faces heavy vehicular traffic and frequent jams.
The administration also informed the court that opposition from certain quarters had caused its cost to escalate by over ₹100 crore. The court is hearing a clutch of petitions that raise environmental concerns and argue that the project violates the heritage of the city.
Notably, the Centre gave its financial approval for the ₹247 crore project last month, and the tender process is expected to begin this month. The 1,650-metre-long flyover on Dakshin Marg was initially approved in 2016, with an estimated cost of ₹137 crore as per 2019 estimates, but its implementation was delayed due to opposition from sections of city residents.
