PGI-Sarangpur flyover hits heritage hurdle

Time of India

6 days ago

Chandigarh: Where the flyover project from the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) to Sarangpur is concerned, it is back to the drawing board for the Chandigarh administration.
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Appreciating the need for traffic decongestion measures, including a flyover, the sub-committee of the Chandigarh Heritage Conservation Committee (CHCC) insisted that the current UT engineering department plan be significantly modified to be acceptable.
"As per existing plans submitted to the sub-committee, the 1.75km flyover with a 1.3km elevated stretch will begin near PGIMER and terminate near the Botanical Garden in Sarangpur, passing over Khudda Jassu and Khudda Lahora villages.
The committee has asked the engineering department to keep the flyover out of the Chandigarh grid plan (out of Sector 12/14) and shift the flyover plan further toward the village area, away from PGIMER," said a senior UT official.
The committee has also considered the route of the proposed metro, which is planned to pass through the area where the flyover is proposed. "The engineering department was asked to coordinate with the Rail India Technical and Economic Service (RITES) for the flyover plans.
There must be no overlapping of the two routes; the department must get a clearer picture about it from RITES," said the official.
The committee also questioned the double-decker design of the flyover. "It asked the engineering department to re-examine the double-decker design, which may look horrendous for the city. The Metro can go underground here, but the double-decker design will have to go," said the official.
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As per the existing double-decker plan, the Rs 90 crore proposed flyover, with a width of 19.1 m and carriageway width of 17.5 m, would feature a lower level for regular traffic and an upper level for the proposed Metro line.
"The engineering department has been directed to revise the project as per these concerns, particularly to shift the project away from the city sectoral grid, in alignment with the proposed Metro project and designed structure of the flyover.
The department will submit a revised design and structure of the project to the committee," said the official.
For a smooth ride to New Chandigarh, bypassing congested villages, the administration started work on the proposal of an elevated highway connecting Madhya Marg to New Chandigarh in 2020. After more than two years, UT resumed work on the project in 2023. The stretch frequently witnesses traffic snarls. Many temporary and permanent commercial establishments and residential areas have come up on both sides of the road stretch.
A UT engineering department official said, "We are waiting for minutes of the meeting, after which further course of action will be decided."
The CHCC sub-committee gave in-principle nod to the Bapu Dham bridge over Sukhna Choe. The committee, however, asked for a detailed submission of the design of the bridge. The proposed bridge will be 1.4 km in length and is planned to be 4-laned.
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