The villagers, aided by agricultural unions, took over the roadway. Protestors have set up Punjabi flags announcing their unrest.
A significant greenfield highway initiative in Mohali was halted when farmers obstructed the newly constructed 31.23-km Mohali-Kurali bypass, initiating an indefinite protest at the toll plaza in Bajheri village close to Kharar.
The expressway, which is part of the Rs 3,166.96-crore, 61.23-km six-lane corridor from Chandigarh to Ambala, was nearly fully finished and set to open this morning.
Demonstrators, insisting on an access point at the toll plaza; a plan the NHAI claims is “not viable” sat down on the highway on November 24 and have since obstructed the toll lanes with vehicles, stopping all traffic.
The villagers, aided by agricultural unions, took over the roadway. Demonstrators have set up Punjabi flags announcing their unrest.
The newly constructed link was intended to relieve congestion from Mohali, Kharar and Kurali to Delhi, Haryana, Chandigarh, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. It had just started being constructed and was halted due to an Nzhaiexpress motorway blockade on one of the key components of this link.
Nhai associate officers have been continuously communicating with the protesters, but according to them, the access point requested at the toll brand was “unviable” and would negatively impact the design and safety of an access-controlled expressway.
They also stated they had been working to convince the people in the area that the development of the highway would improve the ability to get to and from their area and improve access to many areas throughout Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.
The district administration has had several meetings with the Hoodanall roads agitations and have put the Kngkrabad Naib Tehsildar and the Police on duty as administrators to prevent further escalation of the protests and to help contractors get their last minute work done.
The initiative is a component of one of the most significant ongoing highway projects in the area, covering 395 hectares.
Package-2 of the project, extending from IT City Chowk in Mohali to Kurali along the Kurali-Siswan road, is nearly finished and was scheduled to open today. Package-1, a 30-km segment from Devinagar on the Ambala–Hisar road to IT City Chowk, is 75% finished and scheduled to open by April next year.
The expressway includes a spur to Lalru and an additional four-lane section in Punjab to provide better access, while Package-1 has 43.42 km of service and slip roads and seven vehicular underpasses; one overpass; ten large and two small underpasses; seven flyovers; two larger bridges and six smaller bridges.
The overall cost for this section is Rs 1,641.66 crore and covers 180 hectares and will improve travel convenience between Chandigarh and Ambala.
Package-2, or Mohali Kurali bypass covers a total of 215 hectares and is an access-controlled, high elevation, greenfield alignment that bypasses NH-205A. It has been designed to reduce congestion in Mohali, Kharar and Kurali.
The initiative is anticipated to significantly alleviate congestion on Mohali’s congested Airport Road by facilitating direct transit from Delhi and Haryana to Kurali, allowing quicker routes to Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and J&K. This section is already encouraging real estate development near IT City, New Chandigarh, Kharar, and Kurali.
NHAI officials stated, “We have finished the tasks to launch Package-2, whereas Package-1 is expected to be ready by April 30 next year.”
