Mohali MLA revives demand to shift Airport Road gurdwara

Located in the middle of the six-lane Airport Road, the gurdwara has remained at the centre of a sharp S-curve ever since the road was constructed around 14 years ago

The long-pending issue of the hazardous S-shaped stretch on Mohali’s Airport Road echoed in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha on Monday, with Mohali MLA Kulwant Singh questioning his own government over the delay in relocating Gurdwara Mata Sundari despite an earlier agreement with its management.

Speaking in the House, Kulwant Singh said the dangerous alignment claimed between 50 and 60 lives and left hundreds of people injured since the Airport Road became operational. (HT File)

Raising the matter during Question Hour on the opening day of the monsoon session, the AAP legislator asked why the government served a notice cancelling the proposed land allotment to the gurdwara management instead of implementing the relocation package that had already been agreed upon.

Located in the middle of the six-lane Airport Road, the gurdwara has remained at the centre of a sharp S-curve ever since the road was constructed around 14 years ago. The carriageway bends around the shrine, creating four sharp turns that have long been regarded as one of Mohali’s deadliest accident blackspots. The stretch, frequently referred to by commuters as the ‘four deadly bends’, witnessed repeated fatal crashes over the years despite demands from residents, road safety experts and public representatives for a permanent solution.

Almost 60 lives claimed, 100’s injured

Speaking in the House, Kulwant Singh said the dangerous alignment claimed between 50 and 60 lives and left hundreds of people injured since the Airport Road became operational. He said the sharp bends pose a serious risk to fast-moving traffic on the arterial road connecting Mohali with Chandigarh International Airport and stressed that straightening the carriageway was no longer merely a development issue but one of public safety.

The MLA told the assembly that the government and the Budha Dal Samparday, headed by Baba Balbir Singh, earlier reached an agreement to relocate the shrine. Under the proposal, the gurdwara management was to be allotted three acres of alternative land along with ₹3 crore for reconstruction of the religious structure. He said this was the second time such an agreement had been reached, demonstrating the willingness of both sides to resolve the issue amicably.

However, Singh expressed concern that instead of honouring the agreement, the department issued a notice cancelling the proposed land allotment and asked the management to begin fresh negotiations. Questioning the move, he asked why a process that already progressed through mutual consent had been halted midway.

Responding in the House, housing and urban development and revenue minister Hardeep Singh Mundian said the government was treating the matter seriously and would not impose a decision on either side. He assured members that discussions would be held with the gurdwara management to arrive at a mutually acceptable solution that respected religious sentiments while addressing the long-standing road safety concerns. The minister said the government would make efforts to resolve the issue at the earliest through consensus.