Chandigarh: Punjab stalls clearance for Rs 1,878-cr bypass plan

Even eight months after receiving approval from the Prime Minister-chaired Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), the Rs1,878-crore Zirakpur– Panchkula Bypass — the most critical road decongestion project for the Tricity and a key leg of the upcoming Tricity Ring Road — remains stuck in red tape. The Punjab Forest Department is yet to grant the mandatory final Stage-2 forest clearance.The continuing impasse has once again forced the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to extend the bidding schedule for the project, marking the sixth extension since fresh tenders were floated in June following the CCEA nod in April.As per Amendment-18 issued by NHAI’s Punjab Division on December 18, the last date for online submission of bids has now been extended from December 20 to January 15, 2026 (11 am), while the technical bids will be opened at 11.30 am on January 16. The extension has been formally issued due to the absence of final forest clearance, without which bids cannot be received or opened.The project had secured Stage-1 (in-principle) forest clearance on July 31, but nearly five months later, the crucial Stage-2 approval — mandatory before award of work — is still awaited.Senior Forest Department officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Tribune that after minor observations raised by the department were cleared, the file for granting Stage-2 clearance has been pending with the Forests Secretary for nearly two weeks. However, Forests Secretary Priyank Bharti did not respond to repeated calls and messages seeking his response on the delay.NHAI officials said the authority had been left with no option but to repeatedly defer the bidding process. “We are not able to receive the bids due to the pending forest clearance from the Government of Punjab. We have targeted to award this work within the current financial year, but that can happen only after forest clearance, as this condition was specifically put in the approval order,” a senior NHAI official said.It is learnt that senior NHAI officials have also taken up the matter with the Forests Secretary, who has reportedly assured them of early action. “It is under process and is at an advanced stage,” he is said to have conveyed. However, on the ground, the delay continues unabated.The prolonged hold-up has once again pushed back timelines for a project conceived over a decade ago and for which land acquisition was completed in 2020. Stretching 19.2 km from the Zirakpur-Patiala junction on NH-7 to the Zirakpur-Parwanoo junction on NH-5, the six-lane bypass includes a 6.195-km elevated section, five flyovers, one vehicular underpass, nine light vehicular underpasses, a major and a minor bridge, and a railway overbridge.Designed to divert heavy inter-state and local traffic away from the chronically choked NH-5 and NH-7 corridor through Zirakpur and Panchkula, the bypass is expected to significantly ease congestion at Zirakpur lights, Airport Road and the Panchkula gateway, while improving connectivity to Himachal Pradesh.Despite PM-level approval and repeated assurances, the project remains stuck on paper, as daily traffic gridlocks, rising pollution and commuter frustration continue to mount across Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula.As the forest clearance file remains frozen, the Zirakpur Bypass — despite clearance at the highest political level — continues to be a victim of bureaucratic inertia, turning a flagship infrastructure promise into a recurring tale of delay.PROJECT DOSSIERCost: ₹1,878.31 croreLength: 19.2 km (6.195 km elevated)Configuration: Six-laneMode: Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM)Forest land diversion: 17.57 hectaresLand acquisition: Completed in 2020TIMELINEProject conceptualised: Over a decade agoLand acquisition completed: 2020PM-led CCEA approval: April 9, 2025Fresh tenders floated: June 2025Stage-1 forest clearance: July 31, 2025Bid deadlines extended: Six times since July 2025Revised bid submission deadline: Jan 15, 2026 Technical bid opening: Jan 16, 2026Stage-2 forest clearance: PendingTargeted work award: Within FY 2025-26 (subject to clearance)WHY THIS DELAY MATTERSDecongestion of NH-5/NH-7 overlap at Zirakpur, among North India’s worst choke pointsKey component of the proposed Tricity Ring RoadReduction in travel time, vehicular emissions and accident riskCritical connectivity to Panchkula, Chandigarh airport, Ambala and Himachal PradeshA decade-old project still stalled due to procedural and inter-departmental delaysRelated pix & map by photo section

Chandigarh: Punjab stalls clearance for Rs 1,878-cr bypass plan

Tricity decongestion project delayed; bidding extended for sixth time as Stage-2 forest clearance remains elusive

Nitin Jain

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh: Punjab stalls clearance for Rs 1,878-cr bypass plan

Tricity decongestion project delayed; bidding extended for sixth time as Stage-2 forest clearance remains elusive

Nitin Jain

Tribune News Service

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