Over 10 months after the Punjab and Haryana high court lifted its 2019 stay on cutting of trees for the Tribune Flyover project, the project is moving forward, with the Union ministry of road transport and highways confirming that a revised project report and cost estimate, based on the updated Schedule of Rates (SOR), is being prepared for approval.
On Thursday, Chandigarh member of Parliament Manish Tewari raised the flyover’s issue during the ongoing Lok Sabha session.
In response, Union minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari confirmed that since the high court stay had now been lifted, and considering the substantial time gap of over five years since the project’s initial approval, a revised project report and cost estimate were being prepared.
The 1.6 km-long flyover is to be built from near the GMCH-32 roundabout up to the railway overbridge on Dakshin Marg after passing over Tribune Chowk. It was approved by the central government in 2016, with then UT administrator VP Singh Badnore laying the foundation stone on March 3, 2019.
However, the project was stalled in November 2019 after the high court imposed a stay on cutting of trees along the roadside. Over four years later, the plan was revived in May last year after the stay was lifted.
“The city was built up and conceptualised in 1950, and cannot continue to remain like that. Development as such is an ever going process...the town was planned for 5 lakh people. Today, we are dealing with the tricity, which is now bound by Panchkula, Mohali and New Chandigarh, having a population of over 15 lakh. The issue of access and travel to Chandigarh on account of being the capital of two states as such has to be taken into consideration,” the court had held while rejecting arguments for preserving city’s original character.
{{/usCountry}}“The city was built up and conceptualised in 1950, and cannot continue to remain like that. Development as such is an ever going process...the town was planned for 5 lakh people. Today, we are dealing with the tricity, which is now bound by Panchkula, Mohali and New Chandigarh, having a population of over 15 lakh. The issue of access and travel to Chandigarh on account of being the capital of two states as such has to be taken into consideration,” the court had held while rejecting arguments for preserving city’s original character.
{{/usCountry}}However, the officials concerned submitted the revised cost estimate to the ministry only two weeks ago. The submission came after the ministry issued a stern letter to the Chandigarh administration in January, questioning the prolonged delay in submitting the revised estimates.
The flyover is being touted as a solution to the traffic mess in the vicinity of the busy Tribune Chowk. More than 1.43 lakh vehicles, including 1.35 lakh passenger car units (PCUs) cross Tribune Chowk — the rotary on the intersection of Dakshin Marg and Purva Marg — on a daily basis, as per original traffic projections.
Amid the delay, the estimated cost has increased to approximately ₹200 crore, compared to ₹137 crore in 2019—marking a 48% rise over the past five years.