Advisory Council to examine report on Tribune flyover

Dushyant Singh Pundir

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Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 1

The Advisory Council of the UT Administrator will now examine the report prepared by the Technical Committee of the Administration on proposed flyover at the Tribune Chowk. The committee was formed to look for alternatives to the flyover.

Manoj Parida, Adviser to UT Administrator, said the report would be placed before the Advisory Council within a fortnight for their consideration and valuable suggestions.

Initially, the Administration had planned a 7-km-long flyover, but the Union Government reduced the length to 3.5 km. Later, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways further reduced the length of the flyover to 1.2 km.

On a petition filed by the Run Club against the cutting and uprooting of trees for the flyover, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had stayed the construction of the flyover in November 2019 and had asked for public opinion to find an alternative to the flyover at the Tribune Chowk.

The Chandigarh Administration’s decision to cut down the trees on either side of the road leading to the chowk on Dakshin and Purv Marg, the petitioner had contended that irreparable harm would be caused to the environment due to indiscriminate felling of trees.

Emphasising the utility of the trees, the petitioner had asserted these were not only helping in increasing the city’s green cover, but also in checking pollution caused by heavy traffic on the Dakshin Marg and by the adjoining industrial area. Felling of these trees would cause irreparable harm to the environment as apparently there was no way of replacing and replanting the trees at other locations.

A majority of residents, professionals and architects opposed the flyover at a public hearing held last year.

The seven models were submitted to the committee following the public hearing. According to information, the technical committee had rejected all seven alternatives to the flyover.

The Administration had sought more time from the High Court to place the decision of the committee before it. Now, the matter will come up for hearing in the High Court on March 26.