Cabinet clears 6-lane Zirakpur bypass project; Delhi-Himachal travel to get easier

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved the construction of a 6-lane access-controlled Zirakpur Bypass in Punjab and Haryana at an estimated cost of ₹1,878.31 crore.

The 19.2-km-long project will be implemented under the Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM) as part of the National Highways (Original) programme.

It is in line with the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan for integrated transport infrastructure, an official release said.

The bypass will start from the junction with NH-7 (Zirakpur–Patiala) and terminate at the junction with NH-5 (Zirakpur–Parwanoo), bypassing the densely populated urban stretches of Zirakpur in Punjab and Panchkula in Haryana.

"The primary purpose of the project is to ease up congestion in Zirakpur, Panchkula and surrounding areas by diverting traffic from Patiala, Delhi, Mohali Aerocity and providing direct connectivity to Himachal Pradesh," the statement said.

“The current proposal aims at reducing the travel time and ensuring hassle-free traffic movement in the congested urban section of NH-7, NH-5 and NH-152,” it added.

The government is developing a comprehensive road network as a ring road around the tri-city region to decongest the Chandigarh–Panchkula–Mohali urban agglomeration. The Zirakpur Bypass is a key component of this larger plan.