Zirakpur: Villagers of Bhankharpur area protest location of proposed underpass on NH

Gaurav Kanthwal

Zirakpur, March 31

Residents of Bhankharpur staged a protest against the “unsuitable location of proposed construction of underpass” by the NHAI near Bhankharpur on the Chandigarh-Ambala national highway.

The residents complained that the location of the proposed underpass to be built by the NHAI is far away from the habitation near the Ghaggar bridge. The villagers alleged that this underpass is being built far ahead of the traffic lights on the Zirakpur side which will not benefit the locals. As a result, it will not be of much use to them.

“If the underpass comes up at the Bhankharpur light point between the intersection of the road leading to Isapur village and Trivedi camp, it will be beneficial to all. We have been demanding an underpass over the NH for years. However, the location has come as a rude shock to us. Most of the residents of the nearby villages will be forced to take wrong lanes,” said the protesters.

The villagers submitted a complaint to the Dera Bassi SDM at the spot.

They claimed that already the village had been bisected by the NH. The habitation is on one side, while the gurdwara and government school are on the other. Accidents involving pedestrians are a routine affair due, they complained.

Dera Bassi SDM Himanshu Gupta said, “A meeting of the NHAI officials and local residents was held and the matter is being resolved.”