Chandigarh: After nearly a decade since it was first conceptualised and seven years after receiving approval from the Centre, construction on the controversial Industrial Area flyover-rotary-underpass project is finally set to take off. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) on Monday instructed the Union Territory’s chief engineer to issue the Letter of Award (LOA) on priority to the lowest bidder. The financial bids were opened last month by a screening committee set up by the ministry.
MoRTH has granted approval to award the contract to the lowest bidder, whose offer is 31% below the tender cost. The ministry has directed the successful bidder to furnish additional performance security of Rs 4.73 crore. The entire project is expected to be completed in about 30 months.
Project Details
The ambitious infrastructure project includes a six-lane flyover with a rotary and an underpass, designed to provide a signal-free corridor at the heavily congested Industrial Area chowk, which handles over 1.5 lakh vehicles daily. The 1.6-km-long flyover will run from the GMCH-32 roundabout to the railway overbridge towards Hallomajra on Dakshin Marg. It features a 25.5-metre-wide carriageway and has been designed for a speed of 80 kmph.
Timeline of the Project
- 2016: The project was conceptualised and planned.
- 2019: MoRTH approved the project with an allocation of Rs 183 crore in February 2019. After the tendering process, the winning bid for the project completion was Rs 137 crore. UT issued a letter of award (LOA) on November 19, 2019.
- 2019: Acting on a public interest litigation (PIL) regarding the cutting of trees for the project, the Punjab & Haryana High Court granted a stay on the project on November 20, 2019.
- 2024: The HC dismissed the PIL, paving the way for the construction of the flyover on April 30, 2024.
- 2025: In July, MoRTH approval granted for the construction of the project with a budget of Rs 247 crore.
- 2026: MoRTH approved issuance of LOA.
Controversy Around the Project
The project continues to face opposition from some architects and environmentalists. Key concerns include: flyovers violate Chandigarh Master Plan-2031, damage to the city’s heritage character, visual pollution in the City Beautiful, risk of shifting congestion rather than solving it, impact on silence zones near hospitals, cutting of more than 700 trees, and consistent opposition from the UT Urban Planning Department warning that the project lacked necessary planning approvals. During construction, residents should expect traffic diversions and temporary road closures on Dakshin Marg.
High Court Observations
In May 2024, the Punjab and Haryana High Court vacated the stay on tree-cutting, observing that Chandigarh “could not continue to remain the same” and that delays had “set the city back by a decade.” Though currently there is no stay on the project, the matter is still under judicial lens in another writ petition, which challenges the project on multiple grounds.
Preliminary works, including utility shifting and traffic diversion planning, are scheduled to commence later this month. Once completed, the flyover is expected to significantly reduce travel time and ease traffic movement for commuters travelling between Chandigarh, Mohali, and Panchkula.
Project Specifications
- Total length: 1.6 km
- Elevated road on Dakshin Marg: 1.14 km
- Underpass on Purv Marg: 519 m
- Elevated rotary: 74 m in diameter
About the Author: Munieshwer A Sagar is a special correspondent reporting on Chandigarh Administration at Times of India. He has also reported on Chandigarh Municipal Corporation, Housing in Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, general elections, environment, defence, crime, judiciary, education, health and business. He has a master’s degree in Mass Communication from the Panjab University, Chandigarh.
