Commuters from Punjab’s Mohali and Kharar will no longer have to pass through Chandigarh to get to New Chandigarh, as a 9-kilometer bypass road, part of the Airport Road (PR7) extension project, is expected to be completed by May 2024.
The stretch will begin at the dividing road of Sector 120/125, Sunny Enclave, Kharar, and end at the PR4 road in New Chandigarh (Mullanpur), shortening the distance between the two towns by approximately 5 kilometres while also relieving traffic pressure on Chandigarh.
In addition, passengers travelling by air to and from New Chandigarh will be able to avoid commuting through Chandigarh. Further reducing Chandigarh’s traffic congestion will be commuters from Ambala and Delhi, who will also have direct access to Baddi in Himachal Pradesh. Although May 2021 was the original deadline, the Rs 150 crore project is now three years behind schedule.
According to the plan, the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) acquired approximately 120 acres in Jandpur, Hasanpur, Bahawalpur, Ranai Majra, and Saini Majra villages, but encountered a stumbling block in Palheri village, where landowners filed a court challenge to the set compensation.
In January 2024, the Punjab and Haryana High Court (HC) lifted the stay on construction near Palheri village, prompting the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) to resume work on the stretch. However, the Authority has yet to acquire a 30-meter plot of forest land near Thaska village. On February 6, 2024, a meeting was held to discuss this.
“We are trying our best to start this 9 km stretch within the next three months and thus have started construction near Palheri village. We have also requested the forest department to allow us construction on the 30m stretch under their possession. We have received a positive response as the file has moved online. This 9km road will work as a Chandigarh bypass and reduce the travel time of commuters travelling to New Chandigarh,” Gurjit Singh, Executive Engineer (XEN), GMADA said as quoted by Hindustan Times.
In May 2023, GMADA Chief Administrator Rajiv Kumar Gupta assessed the on-the-ground status of the construction of PR 4 and the extension of PR 7 roads and directed the officials in charge to ensure that the work was completed on time. On May 26, 2023, Gupta visited the project sites and noted that the roads were critical to improving the area’s existing connectivity.
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