Ahmedabad: Just when our city roads are buckling under the weight of rising vehicular traffic and the need to match this growing infrastructural need is more urgent than ever, a new hurdle appears to have hit the much-awaited flyover near the Chimanbhai Patel Bridge. The project is facing delays due to land disputes and objections raised by the Sabarmati jail authorities.
The flyover was planned to ease congestion on the RTO Circle-Narendra Modi Stadium route. Also, with upcoming Olympic events and the development of the Sabarmati railway station, bullet train station and transportation hub, traffic is expected to further rise from RTO Circle to Chandkheda.
"To address this, the then municipal commissioner approved a 24-m road over the Chandrabhaga canal in 2014. The idea was to connect Prabodh Raval Bridge in Ranip directly to Chandkheda and Sabarmati areas. Owners of land falling in the path of the road were issued notices and offered land in exchange. However, the Sabarmati Central Jail authority raised an objection regarding the use of their land, delaying the project's implementation," said a senior AMC official under condition of anonymity.
"They raised two concerns: the road would cut through some of their land, and it posed security risks due to its proximity to the portion behind the jail. Multiple meetings between municipal and jail officials remained inconclusive. Now, the AMC has approved the proposal to fill the Chandrabhaga canal, but uncertainty remains about whether a road will be built over it," the official added.
Under the Gandhi Ashram project, a 24-m wide road was built from Prabodh Raval Bridge to Jalvihar STP by filling the Chandrabhaga canal. Meanwhile, the AMC has allotted Rs 200 crore to fill the Chandrabhaga canal from Ranip to Sabarmati on the opposite side. Of this, Rs 151 crore has already been tendered. Once the canal is filled, there will be no other use for the vacant land, leaving road construction as the only option," the official said.