Centre clears defence land for Zirakpur bypass

The Ministry of Defence has cleared a long-pending defence land issue for the Zirakpur-Panchkula bypass, allowing the National Highways Authority of India to move ahead on a project meant to divert traffic around one of the most congested stretches in the Chandigarh tricity. The clearance covers 2.7461 acres inside Chandimandir Military Station and was issued on May 19, according to reports by The Tribune and UNI. (tribuneindia.com) The bypass and its connecting spur are part of a larger road plan linking NH-7, the Zirakpur-Patiala road, with NH-5, the Zirakpur-Parwanoo road, through the Chandimandir belt. (msn.com) The project cost cited in the latest reports is Rs 1,983 crore, though separate recent reports on awarded construction packages break the work into a roughly Rs 1,380-crore bypass package and a roughly Rs 603-crore spur package. (epaper.tribuneindia.com) ### What exactly did the Centre approve? The Ministry of Defence granted NHAI working permission to use 2.7461 acres of defence land at Chandimandir Military Station for the bypass and its spur road, The Tribune reported on May 19. That approval removed what the report described as the last major administrative barrier before ground work could begin. The 2.7461-acre parcel is valued at about Rs 9.89 crore, and the clearance is not a straight transfer. NHAI has to provide 32 JCO/OR residential units for the Army in lieu of payment for the land, according to The Tribune and mirrored reports carried by MSN and UNI. (tribuneindia.com) ### Why was this parcel so important to the road plan? The Chandimandir parcel sat on the alignment of the Zirakpur-Panchkula bypass and its connecting spur, making defence approval a non-negotiable condition for the project to move from award stage to on-ground execution, according to The Tribune's report. The route is intended to carry through-traffic away from Zirakpur and Panchkula approaches that feed into the wider Chandigarh urban area. (tribuneindia.com) The project itself is described in recent coverage as a 19.2-km, six-lane bypass connecting NH-7 and NH-5. Hindustan Times and Indian Express reported earlier that the road is designed to ease pressure on Zirakpur and nearby tricity corridors, where traffic has been a persistent issue. (msn.com) ### What has already been awarded, and to whom? The Tribune's May 20 e-paper report said the bypass work worth about Rs 1,380 crore was awarded to RKCPL Limited on March 27. The same report said the connecting spur, valued at about Rs 603 crore, was awarded to Ceigall. Those figures together align with the broader Rs 1,983-crore project value cited in the latest clearance reports, allowing for rounding. (tribuneindia.com) Earlier reporting by media outlets in late 2024 and 2026 said NHAI had already moved through bidding stages, which meant the defence parcel remained one of the few unresolved pieces before site work. (hindustantimes.com) ### Is the project still facing opposition elsewhere? A public interest litigation has been filed in the Punjab and Haryana High Court against the Zirakpur bypass project, The Tribune reported earlier in May. The petitioner, Prem Nath Sharma, an 86-year-old retired commandant from Panchkula, challenged the project on environmental grounds. (epaper.tribuneindia.com) The Indian Express reported in March that 21 tricity residents had also sought court intervention over proposed tree felling linked to the six-lane project. Those cases do not undo the defence land clearance, but they show that legal and environmental objections remain around the project corridor. (hindustantimes.com) ### What happens next on the ground? A Board of Officers must now demarcate the defence land within four weeks, and the parcel is to be handed over to NHAI within one month, The Tribune's May 20 report said. That means the immediate next step is physical transfer for work access, not a fresh approval round. (tribuneindia.com) Permanent transfer of the 2.7461 acres will still require Cabinet approval, according to the same report. The Tribune said the bypass and spur packages were likely to be completed by 2028, making land handover, Army housing construction and site mobilisation the next named milestones for NHAI, the contractors and the Ministry of Defence. (epaper.tribuneindia.com) (indianexpress.com)