Rs 386 crore okayed for Tribune flyover

Ramkrishan Upadhyay

Tribune News Service 

Chandigarh, August 20

The Transport Ministry has  approved  Rs 386 crore for the  construction of the   Tribune flyover, the first such project in the city.

Sources  said with the approval for funds, the  project was likely  to see the light of day soon. The approval came after Member of Parliament  Kirron Kher held a meeting with Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin  Gadkari last month.

The sources said while the ministry was initially insisting on releasing around  Rs 250 crore for the  project,  Kher  raised the  issue with the minister and succeeded  in getting the amount enhanced significantly.

The UT Administration is now awaiting the revised  detailed   project  report for the flyover from the consultant. The Mumbai-based consultant, Stup Constructions,  was told to prepare the revised  report after the ministry  asked the Administration to construct the flyover in two phases.

Under the initial plan, the flyover had been planned from a distance of 300 metres before the GMCH, Sector 32, roundabout towards Tribune Chowk and was to descend before the railway overbridge. Further, a 4-km elevated road was to come  up on the stretch from the railway overbridge to the Zirakpur flyover. However, the ministry asked  the UT to curtail its length from 6.5 km to 1.5 km, which  would reduce its cost.

An officer  of the Engineering Department  said the consultant had been asked to  rework on the  design and submit  a fresh proposal.  

The project was conceived to ease traffic on the congested Dakshin Marg, especially the Tribune roundabout. Around 1.43 lakh vehicles cross the rotary every day. Gadkari had announced the project during his visit to the city in 2016 after the demand was raised by local MP Kirron Kher.