Proposed shorter route to Chandigarh International Airport not ‘viable’, says Punjab

Tribune News Service

Saurabh Malik

Chandigarh, May 22

More than a year after an alternative route to Chandigarh International Airport was planned, it appears to have hit a roadblock.

Appearing before the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Punjab Advocate-General Gurminder Singh submitted that the alternative route proposed by the Chandigarh Administration did not “appear to be viable for multiple reasons”.

The route, dubbed as “shorter”, was to connect the city to the airport through the crossing of Sectors 46 and 47 in Chandigarh. As the matter came up for resumed hearing before the Bench of Justice Arun Palli and Justice Vikram Aggarwal, AG Gurminder Singh submitted that another route noted by the court in its order dated May 25, 2023, could also be explored as an alternative, “particularly when the proposed road is 164 feet wide, which starts from the 65/66 junction point near Bawa White House and connects with the 300-foot-wide airport road in Sector 66-B, IT City.”

Gurminder Singh added that this route would cut down the distance to the international airport by 3.3 km and save about 15 minutes. He mentioned that a significant portion of the land required to make the proposed route viable had already been acquired and part of the road had already been laid.

The Bench was also informed that tenders floated in the past for the remaining portion had been finalised but the work could not be allotted due to the model code of conduct. The new road would be free from traffic intersections and serve as a perfect substitute for the existing airport route. Additionally, there would not be any commercial activities along its sides to ensure smooth vehicular movement.

“Post completion of the election process, at best, the entire project will be executed within 15 months from the assignment of the work. Still further, the road is only 2.8 km ahead from the Sector 47/48, Jagatpura junction, from where the shortest route by UT Administration is being proposed,” he added.

Taking note of the submissions, the Bench observed that a committee under the chairmanship of Additional Solicitor-General of India Satya Pal Jain was constituted following the High Court orders. The committee was to evaluate the feasibility of the route proposed by the Chandigarh Administration with the assistance of all stakeholders and “valuable inputs” from the amicus curiae and senior advocate ML Sarin.

“Additional Solicitor-General of India Satya Pal Jain prays for a short accommodation to examine the matter as also the concerns expressed by the Advocate-General, Punjab, and conclusively evaluate the viability of the alternative route to the airport proposed by the UT Administration, as also of the route suggested by the Advocate-General, Punjab,” the Bench concluded.

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