Nav Bahar-IGMC tunnel to help ease traffic congestion in Shimla

Looking to rid the state capital of traffic congestion, the government has cleared the decks to construct a 890-m double-lane tunnel from the petrol pump in Nav-Bahar to Circular Road near the Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) beneath the Jakhu hill.

Chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu made the announcement while presiding over a meeting of the public works department (PWD), saying the tunnel would be constructed with an outlay of ₹295 crore, of which ₹100 crore has already been released.

The tendering process will begin by the end of the month.

The CM said the state government was making earnest efforts to address the problems of Shimla city, providing relief to the locals and the tourists visiting the Queen of Hills.

He directed the public works department to remove all bottlenecks on the Circular Road to ensure smooth flow of vehicular traffic. The land acquisition process will commence within one week to achieve the goal.

“ ₹122 crore has been allocated for widening and strengthening of the Circular Road,” Sukhu said, adding that the parking infrastructure would also be ramped up as soon as a parking facility for an additional 3,000 vehicles is developed.

The government is also mulling to eliminate hanging wires in Shimla with a project to construct underground ducts for electricity, cable and optical fibre. In the initial phase of the project, ₹23 crore would be spent with a focus on the heart of the city — the Mall Road, Lower Bazar, and Middle Bazar areas.

Public works minister Vikramaditya Singh and other senior officers were present in the meeting.