Three want to intervene, move HC

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, December 9

Brought together by “common love” for the city, three youngsters today moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court for permission to intervene in the Tribune flyover case for saving the roundabout.

“The applicants — Siddhant Sapra, Eashan Chaufla, Hamza Javed — are young citizens of Chandigarh and have deep roots in the society. Their locus stems from the common love and interest that we all share in this city that we have grown to love. By way of the present intervention, we endeavour to present a fresh perspective to this hotly debated issue,” counsel Viren Sibal submitted.

In the plea, the three submitted that the present controversy had been confined to the need for doing away with the roundabout or suggesting alternatives to the rotary. The interveners had ideas that could improve the roundabout as it existed in its current state. 

Sibal added that the first logical step would have been to  make the roundabout function as efficiently as possible. For reasons best known to the authorities concerned, real efforts had not been made for many years to adapt to the traffic growth.

Elaborating, he stated lakhs of people crossing the roundabout were inconvenienced daily. The motorists had to wait more than required. In the process, over 500 man-days were lost daily at the roundabout alone. The existing conditions ensured that traffic clogged after entering the roundabout, thereby making it a frustrating experience for commuters.

“While keeping in mind the great architectural heritage of Chandigarh designed by Le Corbusier, it would not be proper to demolish the design element that the architect had envisaged over 60 years ago. However, keeping in mind the growing population and traffic, it would not be out of place to suggest certain tweaks to the design of the rotary rather than completely demolishing it,” he added. A number of suggestions too have been incorporated in the petition.

The High Court has already made it clear that the Chandigarh authorities need to further examine the issue before “rushing to cut trees” for constructing the Tribune flyover as such a step would be irretraceable. 

A Division Bench of the High Court has asked the Chandigarh Administration to take into consideration “all facts and facets”.

The Bench of Chief Justice Ravi Shanker Jha and first puisne Justice Rajiv Sharma also made it clear that the authorities, in the meantime, may undertake the exercise of examining the issue after taking suggestions. 

The Bench added that the authorities “may place the suggestion reports or conclusions before this court for the purpose of further orders from the Bench regarding cutting of trees”.