Chandigarh: Shorter route to Mohali Airport Delayed

by The_unmuteenglish

Chandigarh: The construction of a shorter route from Chandigarh to Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport, Mohali, has been stalled as the Punjab Government has not yet approved the land acquisition necessary for the project, according to the officials.

The project, initially approved by the UT Administration last year, required the acquisition of 51 acres—39.6 acres in Chandigarh and 12 acres in Punjab’s Jagatpura and Khandala villages.

The proposed route, starting near Sector 48, would have drastically reduced the distance from the T-point intersection of Vikas Marg and Purv Marg to the airport, from 11.5 km to just 3.5 km. This reduction would have cut travel time from 25 minutes to approximately 5 minutes.

A railway under-bridge (RUB) connecting Vikas Marg to the new road was also part of the plan. However, the project now hangs in the balance as Punjab has not agreed to the land acquisition. Officials from the UT Administration expressed frustration, saying they cannot wait indefinitely for Punjab’s approval.

Meanwhile, the Punjab Government recently informed the Punjab and Haryana High Court that they are working on a separate Rs 125-crore route on their side to reduce the distance to the airport by 5 km.

In late 2023, then UT Administrator Banwarilal Purohit had approved land acquisition under the 2018 Negotiation Policy, with compensation offers between Rs 2.54 crore and Rs 3.34 crore per acre. However, opposition from 80 of the 110 landowners led the UT to switch to the 2013 Land Acquisition Act to resolve the issue.

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