Centre approves Rs 27.3 cr to construct two incomplete flyovers

In a major development, the Centre has approved the plan to construct two incomplete flyovers on the Chandigarh-Kharar-Ludhiana highway at the cost of Rs 27.3 crore.

With this, driving on one of the busiest highways would become smoother and faster without any obstruction.

The development assumes significance as three flyovers on the NH-05, connecting Chandigarh with Ludhiana, had been lying incomplete even five years after the completion of the rest 76-km project at the cost of Rs 2,100 crore in March 2020.

While one of these three missing flyovers, which had been claiming precious lives in road accidents, has already been completed recently, the two other flyovers were still lying incomplete.

Approving the proposal sent by its Regional Officer (Punjab and Haryana), the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has allowed the change of scope proposal amounting to Rs 27.3 crore to build the remaining two missing links on the highway.

Congress MP Dr Amar Singh, under whose Fatehgarh Sahib constituency, both these missing flyovers fall, had last month taken up the issue with Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, seeking early completion of both left-out flyovers at Khant Manpur and Jatana Uncha.

Responding to his communication, NHAI GM PN Gawasane has intimated him that the competent authority has approved the construction of both missing flyovers at the cost of Rs 27.3 crore.

Earlier, a left-out flyover at the Bhaini Sahib junction was completed and opened for traffic in January following the demand raised by Rajya Sabha MP from Ludhiana Sanjeev Arora.

The non-availability of requisite land had left three minor stretches, with a length of less than 2-km, incomplete over five years ago when the four-six-laning of the highway that connects Ludhiana with Chandigarh via Kharar had been completed.

The issue of land acquisition was resolved recently after the Arora took up the issue with the district administrations of Ludhiana and Fatehgarh Sahib and NHAI officials to get possession of the requisite land for paving way for construction of the missing links.

The NHAI officials told The Tribune here on Wednesday that three flyovers on the Kharar to Ludhiana NH-05, with a total length of 76.014-km, of which 74.284-km was completed in March 2020, were de-scoped due to various litigations pertaining to land acquisition issues.

One of these de-scoped segments, from 65.440-km to 65.885-km at Katani Kalan under Ludhiana district, has already been cleared and the work on it has been completed by the Concessionaire.

Besides, the land required for construction of two other stretches at Khant Manpur and Jatana Uncha, totalling 1.285-km in Fatehgarh Sahib district, has also been handed over to the NHAI, with demolition of structures on them almost completed.

“These areas are critical black spots for the project and need expedited completion,” the officials maintained while informing that the NHAI has begun the utility shifting for these two stretches, and the tender allocations are currently in process.

The four-six laning of Ludhiana-Chandigarh section of the NH-95 (now NH-05) had begun in 2017 and had been completed in March 2020, following which the NHAI had awarded completion and commercial operation date to the concessionaire, who had since then commenced toll operations.

However, the three missing links were causing massive traffic congestion and bottleneck on the busy highway as the vehicular traffic from both sides had been diverted on a single lane due to the non-construction of the flyovers and highway stretches, which was causing inconvenience to commuters and was leading to accidents and traffic jams on a daily basis.

“Since the issue has been resolved and the possession of requisite land has been taken over, the flyover at the Bhaini Sahib junction has already been opened for vehicular traffic while the work on the rest black spots will also be completed by December,” the RS MP said.

Rs 2,070-cr project

The Union Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi had approved the four-six-laning of Kharar-Ludhiana section of NH-05 on June 15, 2016. Following this, the NHAI had awarded the work at Rs 2,069.7 crore, including cost of land acquisition, resettlement and rehabilitation and other pre-construction activities, on September 5, 2016.

The total length of the highway to be developed was 76 km.

The construction of 76-km Kharar-Ludhiana section involved six-laning of 54 km and four-laning of a 22 km highway. The highway construction had started from Kharar town, passed through Morinda bypass, Khamanno town, Samrala bypass and had terminated at Ludhiana city.

Improved connectivity

The highway has improved the connectivity and ensured faster movement of traffic from the industrial hub of Ludhiana to Chandigarh and other parts of North India. The project had also provided alternate connectivity of Chandigarh to the NH-1, as well as for the traffic from South-West Punjab to Chandigarh.

The project has two major bridges, six minor bridges, eight flyovers, six vehicular underpasses, 10 pedestrian underpasses, 126 culverts, 46-km-long service lane, nine major junctions, 253 minor junctions and 8-km-long bypass at Samrala.

Ludhiana