Baltana railway underbridge step closer to becoming reality

Punjab Governor and UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria has accorded his approval to deposit 50 per cent UT’s share amounting to Rs 6.40 crore to the Railway authorities for the construction of the much-awaited railway underbridge (RUB) at the level crossing between Raipur Kalan and Baltana.

To benefit tricity residents

Upon completion, the underpass will bring relief to residents of Raipur Kalan village, Mauli Jagran and Vikas Nagar in Chandigarh; Baltana, Zirakpur and Dhakoli in Mohali; and Panchkula.

However, the approval is subject to clearance of the project by the competent authority as per delegation of financial powers issued by the UT Finance Department vide order dated October 12, 2025, and acquisition of required land measuring 5 kanal and 19 marla by the UT Land Acquisition Officer. According to officials, the process of land acquisition has been completed and the compensation is most likely to be awarded to the owners next week.

The project was conceived seven years ago to provide relief to residents of Harmilap Nagar, Baltana and nearby areas from frequent traffic jams at the level crossing during the morning and evening rush hour, but remained in limbo due to the delay in land acquisition.

The UT Administration had issued a notification in July for the acquisition of nearly 0.74 acre in Raipur Kalan for the construction of the RUB at the Chandigarh-Baltana-Harmilapnagar level crossing (No. 123-C) in Raipur Kalan village.

According to the Social Impact Assessment report, people are not likely to be displaced in this acquisition, but two families of Raipur Kalan village will lose agricultural land. The project is a collaborative effort between the Railways and the UT Administration, with both entities sharing the project’s cost almost equally.

The Northern Railway had sanctioned the project in 2021-22 at an estimated cost of Rs 7.99 crore on a cost sharing basis, with the UT’s share pegged at Rs 4 crore and that of the Railways at Rs 3.99 crore.

However, the work has remained pending for the past around four years due to non-acquisition of land for the RUB and non-deposition of the requisite funds by the UT Administration.

With the delay in execution of the project, its cost has escalated to Rs 12.81 crore. Accordingly, the Railway authorities requested the UT Administration to deposit 50 per cent of the revised cost, which amounts to Rs 6.405 crore, towards its share of the project.

Partap Singh Rana, husband of Usha Rani, who is the councillor from Harmilap Nagar, said the project report was prepared in 2017. The RUB is a long-standing demand of the local residents.