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Mohali: Punjab CM wants killer curve on Airport Road to go
As per the officials privy to the matter, Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi has also approached Baba Balbir Singh, the chief of Budha Dal that runs the gurdwara, to chalk out a solution
Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi has directed the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) to find a solution to straighten out the deadly curve on the Airport Road near Mata Sundri gurdwara in Sector 70, officials said.
As per a report, at least 100 accidents have occurred on the said stretch and 12 people have lost their lives ever since the road has been constructed.
As per the officials privy to the matter, chief minister Channi has also approached Baba Balbir Singh, the chief of Budha Dal that runs the gurdwara, to chalk out a solution.
The curve has been tagged as a ‘black spot’ considering the large number of accidents taking place there. At the time of the Airport Road 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.
However, Baba Balbir Singh said, “We have not got any such proposal from any authority. But once we get it, we will look into it.”
Additional chief administrator of GMADA, Damanjit Singh Mann said, “We are planning to straighten out the curve, but the talks with the gurdwara authorities will be held at higher level.”
Area councillor Sukhdev Singh Patwari had written a letter to GMADA, suggesting to allot land to the gurdwara authorities somewhere else. He even laid out a design for straightening of the road.
According to the data provided by the Mohali police, the Airport Road has seen around 300 fatal accidents this year, at least 100 of which took place at this particular curve wherein 12 lives were lost.
Former executive engineer NS Kalsi said it is possible to straighten the road by constructing a new stretch on government land in Sector 77, opposite to the existing curve. “When the road was being constructed, we had warned GMADA that the curve will prove fatal, but to no avail. Now, it is one of the most accident-prone spots in Mohali,” he added.
In April 2019, Punjab traffic adviser Navdeep Asija, after conducting a three-dimensional safety audit using drones, had revealed major flaws in the design of Airport Road, and stated in the report that it is not pedestrian and cyclist-friendly.
