UT mulls underpass in Industrial Area

Ramkrishan Upadhyay

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 15

The Administration is considering constructing an underpass to connect the Industrial Area, Phase 1, with the Industrial Area, Phase 2, here.

Sources said the Administration had directed the Chief Architect and the Chief Engineer to explore the possibility for the construction of the underpass between the Tribune roundabout and the Hallo Mjara chowk to connect both phases.

The sources said members of the Industrial Advisory Council raised the demand at a meeting of the council held last month. According to the minutes of the meeting issued recently, the Chief Architect and the Chief Engineer were directed to look into the demand for the construction of the underpass.

Yudhvir Kaura, one of the members of the council, said it was the pending demand of the industrialists to construct the underpass.

MPS Chawla, another member of the council, said the underpass would reduce the traffic congestion and chaos at the Tribune roundabout.

He said at present one had to cross the Tribune roundabout or the Hallo Majra roundabout to reach from one part of the Industrial Area to other.

The sources said it had also been decided to issue a formal notification to change the name of the Industrial Area to “Chandigarh Industrial Area and Business Park” soon. Though the decision to change the name was taken a long time ago, official notification was yet to be issued.

As far as the demand for the conversion of plots from leasehold to freehold is concerned, it has been decided to examine the prevailing system of Haryana and Punjab and take action soon.

According to official records, there are around 2,000 leasehold plots in the Industrial Area, which were allotted on a leasehold basis. Owners have been demanding the conversion of plots.

No new notices to industrialists

The UT Estate Office has stopped issuing fresh notices to industrialists carrying out new activities that were allowed in a notification issued on February 25, 2019. The Administration had allowed several additional activities in the Industrial Area. The industrialists had demanded that the notices served on them earlier for carrying out these activities be withdrawn. Officials said the UT was planning to reduce the penalty and the proposal would be sent to the Ministry of Home Affairs.