Deadly curve on Mohali’s Airport Road: Gurdwara to get 3 acres, ₹2.5 crore in exchange for vacating land

GMADA finalises prime land in Sector 77, Mohali, as compensation for the gurdwara for agreeing to give up 2 acres at its complex in Sector 70 that will help straighten out the ‘S’ curve; work expected to begin in November

Work to straighten out the deadly curve near Gurdwara Mata Sunder Kaur in Sector 70 on Airport Road may finally begin in two months, with the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) finalising the compensation for the gurdwara management in exchange for giving up a portion of land.

The impasse between GMADA and the gurdwara management had continued for years, until the latter agreed to vacate the land in March this year. Nearly six months later, now, GMADA has decided to compensate the management with 3 acres of land in Sector 77, Mohali, along with ₹2.5 crore. (HT Photo)

The impasse between GMADA and the gurdwara management had continued for years, until the latter agreed to vacate the land in March this year.

Nearly six months later, now, GMADA has decided to compensate the management with 3 acres of land in Sector 77, along with ₹2.5 crore.

While the layout plan for straightening out the road is ready since April, on-site work was held up in absence of a final agreement with the gurdwara management. With the compensation decided, work is now expected to start in November.

GMADA chief administrator Amandeep Bansal said, “The shortlisted land is located in Sector 77, opposite Gurdwara Singh Shaheedan, Sohana. Besides, a compensation of ₹2.5 crore will also be provided to the management of Gurdwara Mata Sunder Kaur as approved in a recent meeting.”

Prime land worth ₹21 crore per acre

The three acres to be provided to the gurdwara management is prime land located in Sector 77 along Airport Road. In an auction of sites at the same location in October 2020, GMADA had earned ₹100 crore from the sale of 4.6 acres for housing projects, making each acre worth around ₹21 crore.

14 lives lost at black spot

Tagged as a “black spot”, the curve, falling on the dividing road between Sectors 70 and 77, has seen 100 accidents since it was constructed in 2009, leading to 14 fatalities. Accidents here form a major chunk of the overall mishaps on the 18-km Airport Road, according to Mohali police.

At the time of the Airport Road’s construction, a portion of land was not released by the gurdwara, set up by a particular sect head, forcing the government to build the road with an “S” curve.

GMADA had approved an alternative site for the gurdwara in January after former Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi directed it to find a solution to the deadly curve. Channi had also approached Baba Balbir Singh, the chief of Budha Dal that runs the gurdwara, to reach a consensus.

Last year in January, the then superintendent of police, traffic, Mohali, Gurjot Singh Kaler, had prepared a report to make the curve safer. The suggestions included the installation of mirrors, reflectors, and the construction of speed breakers. Following this, police had installed barricades and rumble strips on the road.

The report also suggested that crash barriers installed by GMADA had broken and illegal cuts have been created by commuters to take U-turns, risking lives, while at some places crash barriers were still broken. Kaler had inspected the spot after a woman and her teen daughter were killed as a sand-laden tipper hit their two-wheeler at this blind curve. The police officer had submitted his findings to the GMADA chief engineer.