Encroachments halt road upgrade on Dakshin Marg-NH5 stretch

Chandigarh: The failure to remove large-scale encroachments on the stretch (Dakshin Marg leading to NH-5) from Hallomajra to the Zirakpur border has almost stalled the key upgradation works on the road. The work was allotted in Dec 2023 and was to be completed within nine months, but with encroachments on both sides of the stretch, the work has been delayed.
It is estimated that around 6 acres of land is under encroachment by both govt departments and private entities. "Under the govt bodies, mainly central govt departments, around 1,30,000 sq ft of land is encroached upon in the form of extended boundary walls. Under the private bodies, like farmhouses, shops, and houses, around 1,40,000 sq ft of land is encroached upon on the road," said a UT official.
The UT engineering department, which is implementing the project, has repeatedly taken up the issue with the deputy commissioner's office and estate office, seeking the removal of the encroachments. Recently, it again took up the matter with the revenue department. "On removing encroachments, a meeting was held way back in Oct 2023 with the revenue department and estate office officials. They were directed to demarcate these encroachments on the NH-5 from Hallomajra point to the UT boundary. The demarcations were to be done so that all the encroachments could be removed," said the official.
But even after repeated reminders by the engineering department, the revenue officials didn't act on the directions. For easing the traffic chaos and minimising accidents on Dakshin Marg, on the stretch between the Industrial Area roundabout to the UT-Zirakpur border, major upgradation work was undertaken. It included redesigning the intersections, doubling the width of the slow carriageways, and constructing dedicated cycle tracks and pedestrian paths.
"The upgradation is being undertaken as traffic snarls and jams are endemic on it. Also, the Road Safety Committee identified the intersections, Airport Light Point, and Hallomajra Light Point on this road stretch as black spots (major accident-prone areas). The intersections have been redesigned as per the urban planning department. These changes are aimed at reducing traffic congestion and improving safety," said the official.
From Hallomajra traffic point to the Zirakpur boundary, the width of the carriageway is to be widened from the current around 10 ft to 20 ft. Dedicated street lighting is to be done for the cycle track and the pedestrian paths. "Currently, the six-lane main carriageway gets clogged with traffic because of the narrow slip roads/slow carriageways. This problem will be resolved with the widening of the slip roads. It will ease the traffic flow on the main road and improve the ease for vehicles taking a turn on the road," said the official.
For pedestrians, a dedicated pedestrian path is to be constructed, having 1.82 m on both sides. Around the intersections, special cycle tracks and pedestrian paths are to be constructed, which will be connected to the cycle tracks and pedestrian paths along the slow/main carriageways.
The project
Cycle Track Length: from Industrial Chowk to UT-Zirakpur border – total length 10 km (5 km on each side)
Widening of the slip roads from Hallomajra to UT-Zirakpur border – total length around 3 km.
Redesigning of the intersections – Hallomajra and Airport Light Points
Total project cost - Rs 7 crore
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