New Delhi [India], April 16 (ANI): The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on Wednesday approved the construction of a six-lane Zirakpur Bypass, starting from the junction with NH-7 (Zirakpur–Patiala) and ending at the junction with NH-5 (Zirakpur–Parwanoo), covering a total length of 19.2 km in the states of Punjab and Haryana. The project will be developed under NH(O) on Hybrid Annuity Mode.

As per the CCEA, the total capital cost of the project is INR 1,878.31 crore.

The Zirakpur Bypass will begin at the junction with NH-7 (Chandigarh–Bathinda) in Zirakpur, following the Punjab Government's Master Plan. It will terminate at the junction with NH-5 (Zirakpur–Parwanoo) in Panchkula, Haryana, thus bypassing the highly urbanised and congested areas of Zirakpur and Panchkula.

The primary aim of the project is to decongest Zirakpur, Panchkula, and surrounding areas by diverting traffic coming from Patiala, Delhi, and Mohali Aerocity. It will also provide direct connectivity to Himachal Pradesh. The proposed bypass is expected to reduce travel time and improve traffic flow in the urban sections of NH-7, NH-5, and NH-152.

The government has initiated the decongestion of the Chandigarh–Panchkula–Mohali urban agglomeration through a comprehensive road network that is planned to form a ring road. The Zirakpur Bypass is a key component of this strategy.

Additionally, on Friday, the Union Cabinet approved the Vibrant Villages Programme–II, reaffirming its commitment to developing safe, secure, and vibrant land borders.

With a total outlay of INR 6,839 crore, the programme will support the holistic development of villages located in blocks abutting international land borders (ILBs), excluding the northern border already covered under VVP-I. It will be implemented until 2028–29 across selected strategic villages in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Jammu & Kashmir (UT), Ladakh (UT), Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.

The objective is to improve living conditions and livelihood opportunities to ensure secure and prosperous border areas, reduce trans-border crime, and integrate the border population into the national mainstream as ‘eyes and ears’ of the border guarding forces—an essential component of internal security.(ANI)