Flyover will ruin heritage character of city: Experts

Ramkrishan Upadhyay

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Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 21

The construction of the Tribune flyover will destroy the heritage character of the city. From former chief architects to former chief engineers, a large number of prominent citizens of the city have opposed the flyover and have hailed the High Court stay on it.

Sumit Kaur, a former Chief Architect of the UT, said the flyover was against the master plan of the city. The solution to the traffic problem lay in a holistic plan. One could not solve the traffic problem at one junction and create it at another. The public transport system should be strengthened as recommended under the master plan.

Sumit Kaur said the traffic problem could not be solved without involving Panchkula and Mohali. The basic concept of the city ensured that hills were seen from roads, which would not be possible if flyovers were constructed in the city.

Manmohan Sarin, senior advocate, said the project was started after bypassing the master plan. The sanctity of the master plan should not be violated at any cost. It projects were implemented ignoring the master plan, it would be the beginning of the “ruin of the city”.

SK Chadha, a former Chief Engineer of Chandigarh, said there was need for comprehensive planning for addressing the traffic problem and construction of a flyover at one place would not help.

Tarun Mathur, a prominent architect of the UT, said flyovers created visual barriers and were an antithesis to the open planning of the city. Besides, the proposed design of the flyover did not confirm with the “Corbusier system of proportions”. The flyover would have been an eyesore, and with the felling of trees, the backdrop would have been even more barren.

Chander Verma, an industrialist, said instead of the flyover, the Administration should work on underpass projects. An underpass should be made at every roundabout.

Urban Planning Dept had raised concerns

The UT Urban Planning Department had also objected to the flyover. In a letter to the Chief Engineer, it had stated that as per the notified Master Plan-2031, overbridges or flyovers were not recommended for the city due to heritage considerations since they impacted the visual scape and caused inconvenience to non-motorised vehicles and pedestrians. The department had also suggested measures to decongest traffic at Tribune Chowk. The measures included exploring the possibility of connecting the slow carriageway directly with the existing slip roads near Tribune Chowk. It was also suggested that an alternative route from the Industrial Area, Phase 2, for right-turning cars and buses towards the ISBT, Sector 43, should be explored.