May 3 (Punjab Khabarnama) : The Supreme Court on Friday stayed the opening of a road outside Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann’s residence in Chandigarh on an experimental basis.
A bench of justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta noted that both the Centre and the Punjab government have opposed the opening of the road, which has been closed since the 1980s, owing to a threat perception.
The bench issued a notice on a plea filed by the Punjab government and sought response of the administration of Union Territory of Chandigarh by September 2.
The top court said that the road was closed in the 1980s during the height of terrorism in Punjab. On April 22, the Punjab and Haryana high court ordered the opening of the 500-metre road, connecting Sukhna Lake to Nayagaon in Chandigarh, on a trial basis from May 1.
The high court had also directed the Chandigarh Police to engage experts for preparing a traffic management plan for the road that was to be opened from 7am to 7pm on working days. Since the closure of the road, people moving between Nayagaon and Sukhna Lake have been forced to take long detours via adjacent sectors of the city.
