Farmers block Mohali-Kurali highway ahead of its opening

A major greenfield highway project in Mohali was stalled after farmers blocked the newly built 31.23-km Mohali-Kurali bypass, launching an indefinite dharna at the toll plaza in Bajheri village near Kharar.

The expressway, part of the Rs 3,166.96-crore, 61.23-km Chandigarh-Ambala six-lane corridor, was almost 100% complete and scheduled to open this morning.

Protesters, demanding an entry and exit at the toll plaza — an alignment the NHAI says is “not feasible” — squatted on the highway on November 24 and have since parked vehicles across the toll lanes, halting all movement.

The villagers, supported by farmer unions, occupied the carriageway. Protesters have erected Punjabi banners declaring their agitation.

The blockade has frozen one of the Tricity’s most important upcoming links designed to decongest Mohali, Kharar and Kurali and provide seamless access between Delhi, Haryana, Chandigarh, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir.

NHAI officials, who have been in continuous dialogue with protesters, said the demand for an access point at the toll plaza was “not feasible” and would compromise the design and safety of the access-controlled expressway. They said they were trying to convince residents that the project would significantly boost connectivity, benefit their area and provide seamless travel. The district administration has begun parleys with the agitators and deployed the Kharar Naib Tehsildar as duty magistrate, supported by cops, to prevent any escalation and assist contractors in completing last-mile works.

The project is part of one of the region’s largest ongoing highway developments — spanning 395 hectares.

Package-2 of the project, from IT City Chowk in Mohali to Kurali on the Kurali-Siswan road, is almost complete and was slated for opening today. Package-1, a 30-km stretch from Devinagar on the Ambala–Hisar road to IT City Chowk, is 75% complete and targeted for launch by April next year.

The expressway includes a spur to Lalru and a four-lane section in Punjab to improve access, while Package-1 incorporates 43.42 km of service and slip roads, seven vehicular underpasses, one overpass, 10 large and two small underpasses, seven flyovers, two major bridges and six minor bridges. This section alone, costing Rs 1,641.66 crore and covering 180 hectares, aims to ease travel between Chandigarh and Ambala.

Package-2, also known as the Mohali-Kurali bypass, spans 215 hectares and forms a high-embankment, access-controlled greenfield alignment bypassing NH-205A to decongest Mohali, Kharar and Kurali. It is expected to sharply reduce pressure on Mohali’s overburdened Airport Road by offering direct movement from Delhi and Haryana towards Kurali, enabling faster access to Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and J&K. The stretch is already spurring real-estate activity around IT City, New Chandigarh, Kharar and Kurali.

NHAI officials said, “We have completed the work to open Package-2, while Package-1 is scheduled to be ready by April 30 next year.”