The Himachal Pradesh cabinet has finally given its go ahead to the Mohali-Baddi Expressway. Sources in the Himachal Pradesh chief minister?s office (CMO) told FE that the Cabinet decided ??to delegate powers under Article 299 of the Constitution of India to the chief executive officer, Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh Development Authority, to sign memorandum of understanding (MoU) and other relevant documents to be executed between the state of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab for the construction of a access controlled expressway connecting the Baddi industrial area with Mohali in Punjab.??
Prior to the Cabinet meeting yesterday, the government had approved a draft memorandum of understanding to be signed between the Himachal Pradesh and the Punjab governments for the construction of a 67.7 km six lane expressway starting from Chandigarh, passing through the Mohali international airport and terminating at Baddi.
The proposed Mohali-Baddi expressway incorporates provisions for expansion into a 10-lane road. Deputy chief minister, Punjab, Sukhbir Singh Badal, said, ?The project would give a fillip to an economically resurgent Punjab?s road infrastructure.?
Sanjeev Goyal, managing director of Nectar Lifesciences, who has a unit at Baddi told FE that this is great news for Baddi, Barotiwala and Nalagarh industry. ?This was a long-pending demand of Baddi industry,? he said.
Once completed, the Mohali-Baddi expressway is expected to ease, vehicular movement around the Mohali-Baddi region. At present Mohali and Baddi house a number of industrial units. In fact, many industrial units from various parts of Punjab and Haryana have moved to Baddi in view of the special concessions and tax holiday there. However, industrialists rue the lack of infrastructure, particularly the approach road from Chandigarh, which remains in a very poor shape. A 10 km stretch between Chandigarh and Baddi has been a bone of contention between three states of Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana as it passes through these states.