The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has advanced the deadline for completion of the much-awaited Greenfield Project, aimed at decongesting the Airport Road in Mohali, from October 2024 to April 2024.
As per sources, the decision has been taken in view of the Lok Sabha elections scheduled in May next year.
A Maharashtra-based company, which was allotted the work in October last year, has been asked to complete the work by April 2024.
The 32-kilometer road, from IT Chowk (PR-7) near Chandigarh International Airport to Kurali-Chandigarh road, is being built in an area that has never been developed.
A senior officer of NHAI said the cost of the project is nearly ₹1,400 crore, out of which ₹700 crore has been given for land compensation and the remaining ₹700 is for the construction of the highway. Though the project was to be completed in October 2024, but we will complete it in April 2024, he said.
The project had been put on hold for nearly eight months as landowners were protesting against the rates being offered for their land. The NHAI had then approved a four-fold increase in the compensation amount for landowners. While earlier the NHAI was to pay between ₹24 lakh and ₹4.18 crore per acre, depending on the location, now they have approved the compensation of ₹1 crore and ₹1.09 crore per acre to those who were to get ₹24 lakh per acre.
NHAI had released ₹700 crore to acquire 450 acres in 28 villages and the district revenue officer has already disbursed ₹90 crore compensation to land owners. Out of a total of 28 villages, 21 are from Kharar tehsil, while 6 villages are from Mohali tehsil.
NHAI had come up with the Greenfield Project after scrapping the 40-km Kharar-Banur-Tepla road project in July 2019, owing to its high cost. Once complete, it will help ease traffic in Chandigarh and Zirakpur by serving as an alternative route for those from Delhi heading towards Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir.
