Punjab withdraws support; Haryana to fund Mohali airport road alone

Haryana’s decision to pay alone for a new direct road to Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport in Mohali is the latest turn in a dispute that has stretched for years over who should fund access to a joint airport. Tribune India reported on May 19 that Punjab withdrew from the proposed cost-sharing arrangement, with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann saying the state was under “great economic stress.” Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini then backed a plan under which Haryana would bear the full cost, according to official documents cited by the newspaper. The airport itself is a shared asset. The Airports Authority of India holds 51% in Chandigarh International Airport Limited, while Punjab and Haryana each hold 24.5%, Tribune India reported. Yet the new road has become a case study in how joint ownership does not necessarily produce joint funding when the benefits are seen as unevenly distributed. (tribuneindia.com) ### Why did Punjab step away from paying for the road? Bhagwant Mann’s stated reason was financial. Tribune India reported that Mann told a high-level inter-state meeting, “We are going through great economic stress and, therefore, are not able to participate in any project.” Punjab’s position, as described in the report, was that its residents already approach the airport from the Mohali side, so the new corridor from the Chandigarh side would not materially serve Punjab commuters. (tribuneindia.com) Punjab had also raised a separate objection earlier. In a January 2, 2025 report to the Punjab and Haryana High Court, cited by Hindustan Times, the Punjab government said a proposed direct link could affect future airport expansion, including land needed for maintenance facilities and a southern taxi track. (tribuneindia.com) ### What exactly is Haryana proposing to build now? The new plan is for a 100-foot-wide road running from the Chandigarh entry point along the edge of defence land and the vacant portion of the airport estate to the terminal building, Tribune India reported. The road would require 38 acres of defence land. Haryana has agreed to pay for land acquisition, road construction, rebuilding the Air Force boundary wall, new security systems and a 450-metre underpass. (hindustantimes.com) The underpass is required because the route passes near the Instrument Landing System and CAT-II lights on the approach to Runway 29, according to Tribune India. An earlier 2019 proposal based on a Delhi Metro Rail Corporation technical feasibility report had been estimated at 1.357 billion rupees, or about 135.7 crore rupees, and did not move forward. Tribune India said the current alignment is expected to cost less, though no final figure has been announced. (tribuneindia.com) ### Who gains most from a direct approach to the airport? The areas cited as most affected by the lack of a direct route are Panchkula, eastern Chandigarh, Zirakpur and the Kalka-Shimla Highway belt. Tribune India reported that Haryana argued the road would also shorten trips for some Punjab-side users, including people traveling from Zirakpur and Mohali. The newspaper cited official documents saying the route could reduce the distance from Zirakpur to the airport from 13.7 km to 9.6 km, from Mohali from 16 km to 13.1 km, and from Mohali’s Kisan Bhawan IT Park area from 20 km to 17 km. (tribuneindia.com) The demand for a shorter road is not new. Tribune India reported that commuters from Chandigarh and Panchkula have relied on a longer loop through Mohali since the new airport became operational in November 2015 and the old domestic terminal on the Indian Air Force base closed. An earlier Chandigarh-side plan described by Tribune in October 2024 would have cut one stretch from 11.5 km to about 3.5 km and travel time from 25 minutes to 5 minutes, but that proposal stalled over land acquisition and Punjab’s consent. (tribuneindia.com) ### How is this different from Punjab’s own airport road work? Punjab has been pursuing a separate road project on its side. Hindustan Times reported in January 2025 that Punjab had started work on a 5-km, 125-crore-rupee parallel road between the airport and Bawa White House, after changing its position on the Chandigarh-side direct link. Tribune also reported in 2024 that Punjab told the High Court it was building a shorter route on its side at a cost of 125 crore rupees. (tribuneindia.com) That means the current dispute is not about whether airport access should improve, but about which alignment should be funded and who should pay for it, according to the positions set out in those reports. ### What has to happen before construction can start? (hindustantimes.com) The immediate hurdle is approval from the Ministry of Defence in New Delhi. Tribune India reported that Haryana’s plan depends on access to 38 acres of defence land and that central clearance is still awaited. (tribuneindia.com) The next identifiable milestone is a Defence Ministry decision on the land transfer and alignment. If that approval comes, Haryana would proceed through the Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran on the cash-payment acquisition route described in Tribune India’s May 19 report. (tribuneindia.com) (tribuneindia.com)