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Chandigarh’s Sector 15/11 underpass on track for a clean and green makeover
The ₹52-lakh project, which will be completed in 5 months, will also include beautification of shops at the adjacent Old Books Market in Sector 15, Chandigarh
From pristine glass mosaic tiles on walls to entrances bedecked with vertical gardens and all new Kota stone floors to smooth roads, city’s historic Sector 11/15 underpass is all set to undergo a major makeover.
Estimated to cost the municipal corporation ₹52 lakh, the project, which got underway on Saturday, will also comprise beautification of shops at the adjacent Old Books Market.
Connecting the two prominent sectors of the city, the underpass was part of Le Corbusier’s master plan for Chandigarh to ease traffic flow along the busy Madhya Marg.
“The underpass has heritage value, as it was the first to be constructed during the city’s inception in the 1950s. But it was always neglected by the UT administration and the civic body. Since its construction, it has never been renovated despite flurry of complaints regarding defacement of the subway and underpass walls. But painting the walls was also not a permanent solution for heritage conservation and beautification,” said area councillor Saurabh Joshi, adding that the MC General House then approved the project to give the area a complete makeover.
“Now, to prevent defacement, glass mosaic tiles will be installed, whereas Kota stone will be used for flooring to further uplift the underpass’ appearance. A vertical garden at the entry will radiate a peaceful and elegant ambience. Further, the underpass will be beautifully illuminated with lights, and the footpath will also be reconstructed and painted,” said Joshi, who launched the project with the ground-breaking ceremony.
The councillor added, “The underpass also sees regular complaints of waterlogging whenever it rains. Though temporary arrangements are in place to prevent it, we are also planning to repair the drainage system for a long-term solution.”
MC commissioner Anindita Mitra said, “Tenders for the beautification project have already been awarded and work started on Saturday. Besides improvement of walls, flooring, height gauge and V-5 roads, the project will also include repair of roof projections of book stalls.”
Book shops to get new roofs
“The fibre sheet roofs of the book shops at the nearby Old Book Market are old and damaged. As such, book vendors used to set up their goods under the open sky in all weather conditions. To provide them a safe and covered space to run their business, the roof of the shops will be replaced with corrugated galvanised steel roofing,” Joshi said.
Though the project will take up to five months for completion, the traffic movement will not be halted. “The underpass will remain open for traffic movement and we will ensure that no congestion takes place,” he said.
