Ring road, Transport Nagar soon cards

CHANDIGARH, December 30: A 100-FEET wide ring road around the city, a northern bye-pass from Kohara to Sutlej bank, extension of the southern bye-pass to link Ferozepur Road with the Jalandhar side of G.T. Road, two new bus stands and a new Transport Nagar are among the development plans for Ludhiana formulated by a high-powered committee headed by the state chief secretary.

Municipal Corporation Commissioner S.S. Sandhu told the general house of the civic body today that a strip of around 300 feet would be acquired around the city for the ring road. The committee had suggested that funds for the ring road project be raised from international financial institutions, who should be given the right to construct commercial complexes and other buildings along the road to recover the investment.

He said the civil aerodrome at Sahnewal would be extended to facilitate landing of bigger aircraft and the Punjab Urban Development and Planning Authority PUDA had been asked to acquire 25 acres for this purpose. Also being planned is a flyover near Dhandari.

According to Sandhu, as part of the traffic management plans, strategic policies were being formulated to remove encroachments and to phase out three-wheelers. He said the government had agreed to withdraw the proposal on the composition fee and development charges in the city. The MC has been asked to submit a fresh proposal in this regard, he added.