Green light for Zirakpur bypass

Ending months of bureaucratic logjam, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has granted final Stage-2 forest clearance to the much-delayed Rs 1,878-crore Zirakpur-Panchkula bypass, paving the way for award of work of the Tricity’s most critical road-decongestion project.

The final approval has been issued by the ministry’s Integrated Regional Office (IRO), Chandigarh, following a formal consent by the Punjab Forests Minister on the recommendation of the Forests Secretary, who cleared the file after it remained pending at the state level for weeks.

The project had remained stuck in red tape for over nine months after receiving a green light from the Prime Minister-led Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), forcing the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to repeatedly postpone the bidding process despite completing all statutory requirements.

With the Stage-2 clearance now in hand, the NHAI will proceed with the opening of technical bids later this month and the award of work by next month. The last date for submission of bids was extended six times since fresh tenders were floated in June following the CCEA approval in April.

Senior officials confirmed that the final forest clearance has been granted for the diversion of 17.57 hectares of forest land for construction of the six-lane bypass under the Hybrid Annuity Mode. The approval has been accorded subject to compliance with the stipulated environmental and forest conservation conditions, including implementation of compensatory afforestation, payment of statutory levies, protection of adjoining forest areas, and adherence to approved mitigation measures during construction.

The final clearance became possible after the Punjab Forests Minister accorded a formal approval to the proposal, acting on the recommendation of the Forests Secretary. The file was thereafter forwarded to the IRO, Chandigarh, which issued the Stage-2 clearance certificate, effectively removing the last regulatory hurdle for award of the project.

The Tribune had earlier reported how the file for Stage-2 clearance remained stalled at the state level even eight months after the CCEA nod, compelling the NHAI to defer bid opening repeatedly. The authority had maintained that work could not be awarded without the final forest clearance, a mandatory pre-condition in the approval order.

Conceived over a decade ago, the Zirakpur-Panchkula Bypass is the most important infrastructure intervention aimed at decongesting the chronically choked NH-5 and NH-7 corridor through Zirakpur and Panchkula. The project involves construction of a 19.2-km-long, six-lane bypass, including a 6.195-km elevated stretch, five flyovers, multiple underpasses, bridges and a railway overbridge.

The bypass is designed to divert heavy inter-state and local traffic away from the Zirakpur traffic lights, Airport Road and the Panchkula gateway, while also forming a key leg of the proposed Tricity Ring Road and improving connectivity to Himachal Pradesh, Ambala and Chandigarh airport.

With land acquisition completed in 2020 and the final statutory clearance now granted, officials said the project was finally poised to move from paper to ground, raising hopes of long-awaited relief from daily traffic gridlocks and rising pollution across Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula.

TIMELINE

Project conceptualised: Over a decade ago

Land acquisition completed: 2020

CCEA approval: April 9, 2025

Fresh tenders floated: June 2025

Stage-1 forest clearance: July 31, 2025

Bid deadlines extended: 6 times

Stage-2 forest clearance: Granted by the Union Ministry’s office in Chandigarh

Technical bids opening: January 16

TO DECONGEST TRICITY: GADKARI

"The Zirakpur-Panchkula bypass is a vital infrastructure project that will significantly decongest the Tricity, improve road safety and cut travel time for commuters and freight. Projects like this reflect our continued focus on strengthening road transport infrastructure to support economic growth and improve the quality of life of citizens," said Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways