OFFICERS FROM Punjab, Haryana and Ministry of Road Transport and Highways “supported having a Tribune flyover in the city stating that 400 trees cannot hold to ransom 12 lakh people stuck in traffic every day”.
The development comes two days before the public hearing is scheduled to take place on the fact whether people are supportive of having a flyover in the city or not.
It was on the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court that the meeting was held under the chairmanship of UT Advisor Manoj Parida.
The court had constituted a committee so that Punjab and Haryana’s Secretary-rank officers as other members on the panel could discuss alternative solutions to the traffic congestion in the city.
However, the UT Administration said that all the officers were of the view that “Tribune flyover is the only solution to the increasing traffic congestion in Chandigarh”. As many as 15 officers from both the states and the ministry attended the meeting at UT Secretariat chaired by UT Adviser Manoj Parida.
Talking to Chandigarh Newsline, Parida said, “All the officers from Punjab and Haryana and the ministry have supported the decision of having Tribune flyover as this is the only means to reduce traffic congestion. The officers were of the view that even as Corbusier had envisioned the city in the way but city cannot freeze despite growing population and traffic congestion. Over 1 lakh trees have been planted in the city and it is the government agency only that is planting so many trees, not anyone else.”
He added, “So, the opinion was that 400 trees cannot hold to ransom 12 lakh people who are daily stuck in the traffic and have to go through a lot because of traffic congestion. Petitioners should realise this fact.”
The Adviser stated that even the Chief Engineer, who came from Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, was also in favour of the flyover.
Principal Secretary rank officers from urban planning department, finance and other related departments, Chief Engineers from Punjab and Haryana attended the meeting.
UT engineers said that already the flyover’s length has been curtailed to a bigger extent.
The Punjab and Haryana officers in the meeting said that “it was the right decision and they should go ahead with the flyover without delay”.
The flyover is the pet project of MP Kirron Kher. She went ahead with getting approvals from Union Minister Nitin Gadkari.
The project was given the go-ahead by the engineering wing even after ignoring Chandigarh urban planning department’s big no to the project.
A confidential report, dated May 24, 2018, submitted by the department of urban planning to engineering wing had objected to the project on various counts but the same day, officials of administration went ahead to give the go-ahead.
It was specified that as per norms of IRC SP-90, it is clearly intimated that decision to provide a flyover shall be based on examination of different alternatives and only after all other avenues of efficient management of traffic through grade treatments are exhausted. “However, neither the engineering department nor the ‘very renowned’ empanelled consultant with the MoRTH, GOI have considered or explored the alternatives and other avenues of efficient management of traffic through grade treatments as per recommendations of IRC,” it had said.
Now a public hearing is scheduled for December 23 at 4 pm.
High Court push for solution
After the felling of 472 trees for the flyover was stayed, the bench had asked UT to look for alternative solutions. However, in just one meeting of the officers on Friday, the conclusion was that there should be a flyover.
The bench had asked why an underpass cannot be created instead and also probed whether the heritage committee had approved the plan.
Observing that there is no going back once the trees are cut, the court had observed that the authorities better sit down and come up with solutions. It ordered the chief secretaries of Punjab and Haryana to depute secretaries of the departments concerned for the purpose of finding solutions to the matter. It was also ordered that the authorities will also consider all the objections and suggestions from public regarding the project. A public hearing is scheduled to be held on December 23.
“The ultimate call has to be made by the experts but the issue is of environment. We want to find whether you can have similar viable options to preserve the trees,” it had said.
However, in the meeting on Friday, all of them concluded in one go that flyover is the only option.
