Ramkrishan Upadhyay
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, August 20
The Transport Ministry has approved Rs 386 crore for the construction of the Tribune flyover, the first such project in the city.
Sources said with the approval for funds, the project was likely to see the light of day soon. The approval came after Member of Parliament Kirron Kher held a meeting with Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari last month.
The sources said while the ministry was initially insisting on releasing around Rs 250 crore for the project, Kher raised the issue with the minister and succeeded in getting the amount enhanced significantly.
The UT Administration is now awaiting the revised detailed project report for the flyover from the consultant. The Mumbai-based consultant, Stup Constructions, was told to prepare the revised report after the ministry asked the Administration to construct the flyover in two phases.
Under the initial plan, the flyover had been planned from a distance of 300 metres before the GMCH, Sector 32, roundabout towards Tribune Chowk and was to descend before the railway overbridge. Further, a 4-km elevated road was to come up on the stretch from the railway overbridge to the Zirakpur flyover. However, the ministry asked the UT to curtail its length from 6.5 km to 1.5 km, which would reduce its cost.
An officer of the Engineering Department said the consultant had been asked to rework on the design and submit a fresh proposal.
The project was conceived to ease traffic on the congested Dakshin Marg, especially the Tribune roundabout. Around 1.43 lakh vehicles cross the rotary every day. Gadkari had announced the project during his visit to the city in 2016 after the demand was raised by local MP Kirron Kher.
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