6 mths after Cabinet nod, Zirakpur bypass still on paper

The much-awaited Rs 1,878.31-crore Zirakpur-Panchkula Bypass, meant to decongest traffic in the Tricity, has been delayed yet again. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has extended the bidding deadline for the fourth time.

The development assumes significance as even six months after the project received in-principle approval from the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it remains on paper.

As per the latest amendment issued by the NHAI’s Punjab division, the last date for online submission of bids has now been pushed to 11 am on November 20, while the technical bids will be opened on November 21. The extension follows delays in the mandatory Stage-2 forest clearance from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, where the proposal for diversion of 17.57 hectares of forest land is still under process and verification is pending with the Forest Department.

The ministry had in August granted Stage-1 or in-principle clearance, allowing the diversion of forest land for non-forestry use subject to strict conditions, including compensatory afforestation, payment of net present value, no change in land use, and ensuring that no damage is caused to adjoining forest areas or wildlife. Final Stage-2 approval will be issued only after compliance verification.

Officials said the work could not be awarded until the final forest clearance is obtained. The project, conceived over a decade ago, is to be executed under the hybrid annuity mode (HAM) and is part of the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan. Despite land acquisition being completed in 2020, it has seen repeated delays due to procedural hurdles.

Stretching 19.2 km from the Zirakpur-Patiala junction on NH-7 to the Zirakpur-Parwanoo junction on NH-5, the six-lane bypass will include a 6.195-km elevated section, five flyovers, one vehicular underpass, nine light vehicular underpasses, one major bridge, one minor bridge and a railway overbridge. The proposed bypass traverses through Mohali and Panchkula districts in Punjab and Haryana, providing vital connectivity to Sectors 24 and 25 in Panchkula and easing movement towards Himachal Pradesh.

The bypass is aimed at diverting traffic from the congested overlapping stretch of NH-5 and NH-7 through Zirakpur and Panchkula, significantly cutting travel time and congestion on the Chandigarh International Airport in Mohali and Delhi-Ambala routes. It will also be a crucial component of the planned Tricity ring road network.

Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has described it as a flagship project under the PM Gati Shakti plan. “The bypass will seamlessly link the Tricity while removing bottlenecks on the busy Zirakpur-Chandigarh corridor. It’s an important component of the decongestion master plan,” he had earlier said.

Officials now expect the project to be awarded only by early 2026, with construction likely to begin by March-April and completion within two years thereafter — provided the clearances come through in time.