Gaurav Kanthwal
Zirakpur, November 15
The underpass coming up on the Chandigarh-Zirakpur border will be made operational by month-end, officials of the Punjab Public Works Department (PWD) have claimed. The project has already missed its August and October deadlines.
Work on service lanes later
If there is no shortage of material, underpass will be ready by November-end. After underpass is made operational, work on service lanes will begin. — Rajpreet Singh Sidhu, Executive Engineer
The department officials, including Superintending Engineer and Executive Engineer, who inspected the site today, said the granular sub-base material, the penultimate layer before bitumen is laid, was being put in place.
"If there is no shortage of construction material, the underpass will be ready by the end of November. Most of the time-consuming work has been completed. Once the underpass is made operational, work on the service lanes will be taken up," said Executive Engineer Rajpreet Singh Sidhu.
This comes two days after Chandigarh Tribune highlighted how the road conditions have worsened at the site due to digging work. Taking cognisance, Mohali DC Amit Talwar today gave orders to the PWD officials to operationalise the underpass by November 30.
At a meeting with the PWD, administration, National Highways Authority of India officials, Dera Bassi SDM, MC executive officer and other officials, Talwar expressed concern over road users being harassed due to delay in the project.
Work in underway to lay sewerage on the section towards Zirakpur, which has been causing snarl-ups in the area.
Residents say hotels and other business establishments were releasing sewage into the drain meant for rainwater, often causing blockages and overflow. Since the construction of 10-foot-deep sewerage pits is being carried out along the road, the drain got blocked, leading to overflow of sewage.
Road users complain of sewage overflowing on to the potholed road at the construction site, hampering free movement of vehicles.
Construction debris and earth have also piled up at several places on the already narrow stretch, hindering the traffic flow.
The service lane on the stretch towards Zirakpur has been widened, but it is still insufficient to cater to the heavy volume of traffic the highway witnesses.
"The widening and repair of service lanes does not come under the ambit of the construction firm contracted to make the underpass. The upgrade of service lanes will be taken up separately once the underpass is made operational," says another official.
Road users on the Chandigarh-Ambala National Highway have been grappling with chaos on the section for almost a year now, as precious time is wasted due to the bottleneck and potholes. During the rush hour, ambulances remain stranded for up to an hour.
Ramandeep Singh, a Bhankharpur resident, says: "Our patience is wearing thin. The Punjab Government's failure is there for everyone to see. The underpass should be made operational as soon as possible."
Running behind schedule
- The project missed its first nine-month deadline on August 3
- The second deadline was fixed for the end of October, but the work couldn't be finished
- Rs 10-crore project will ease movement of vehicles from Pabhat godown area
Sewage overflow triggering jams
- Sewerage system is being laid on the stretch from UT towards Zirakpur, causing snarl-ups
- Work on 10-ft-deep sewerage pits is on, blocking rainwater drain
- Hotels, other business units are releasing sewage into the drain, causing overflow on to road
- Construction debris at several places is further hindering the flow of traffic
from The Tribune https://ift.tt/V1v5Lam
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