Karnal residents oppose 2 proposed elevated flyovers

Tribune News Service

Parveen Arora

Karnal, May 6

Residents are up in arms over the proposed construction of two elevated flyovers aimed at reducing traffic congestion. The project, the foundation stone of which was laid by former Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on March 7, has received a backlash from residents, who argue that it will reduce property values and disrupt daily life.

Corridor to come up in two segments

• The proposed elevated corridor, which will be constructed on single-pillar technology, will come up in two segments.
• The first segment, spanning approximately 2.38 km, will have two lanes with a carriage width of 3.5 metres each, connecting Haryana Nursing Home to the Government College for Women along Railway Road.
• The second segment, extending 980 km, will link Committee Chowk and Ambedkar Chowk with an intersection at Committee Chowk.

The estimated cost of the project is Rs 127.33 crore and has a deadline of 18 months. As per the plan, there is a proposal to construct two elevated flyovers on 99 pillars.

The proposed elevated corridor, which will be constructed on single-pillar technology, will come up in two segments. The first segment, spanning approximately 2.38 km, will have two lanes with a carriage width of 3.5 metres each, connecting Haryana Nursing Home to the Government College for Women along Railway Road. The second segment, extending 980 km, will link Committee Chowk and Ambedkar Chowk with an intersection at Committee Chowk. These flyovers are being constructed by the Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) under the Karnal Smart City project. It has been allotted to an agency after several efforts of the authorities. The agency has also barricaded the dividers where the proposed flyovers will be constructed.

Residents are not happy with the project as they are worried about property devaluation. They argue that while development is crucial, it should not come at the expense of the residents’ interests.

Kapil Gupta, a resident, highlighted that around 500 shopkeepers and households will be adversely impacted by the project, emphasising that people should not bear the brunt of development initiatives.

“We are not against the development, but it should not be done at the cost of interest of people who will be affected due to these flyovers,” he added.

Rohit Gupta, another resident, questioned the project’s altered length, raising questions about its necessity. “The objective of the originally planned flyover on Railway Road was to streamline the traffic flow from Kaithal Road to the NH-44, bypassing the market area. There is a western bypass to divert such traffic to the NH-44. Now, what is the need for these flyovers,” he said.

Residents, including Vikas, Anshul, Nitu, Chandan, Vikram, and Sunil, said they will apprise the Deputy Commissioner-cum-CEO, Karnal Smart City Ltd., former Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini of their grievances regarding the proposed flyovers. They said these flyovers will affect the local market. They said they will request the authorities to consider the project’s impact on the community.

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