Ahmedabad: The road to the proposed riverfront-airport tunnel is no longer blocked on paper. The tunnel, planned beneath the Army Cantonment firing range, was stuck for three years after the Army withheld its no-objection certificate. Now, the state’s urban development department has granted preliminary approval to the Hansol TP scheme alignment that reserves a 24-m approach road near The Ummed hotel.The approval of TP Scheme No. 67 preserves the route required for the project, but does not by itself constitute the Army’s NOC or final construction clearance.According to officials familiar with the plan, the tunnel will begin near the Sardar Patel statue within the Ahmedabad airport premises, pass through Airport Circle and run along the road beside the five-star hotel. It will then connect with the 24-metre road being developed along the eastern bank of the Sabarmati Riverfront under Phase 2.The project has assumed greater importance with Ahmedabad set to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games. The city is also at the centre of India’s preparations and efforts for a possible bid to host the 2036 Olympic Games. The tunnel is part of a wider plan to create a seamless link between the airport, the Sabarmati Riverfront and the Sardar Patel Sports Enclave near Narendra Modi Stadium.The project had been included in an MoU between Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation and the Army Cantonment. However, an NOC was not issued, and the ambitious project was held up.An AMC official, on condition of anonymity, said, “Sabarmati Riverfront Development Corporation Ltd (SRFDCL), which is implementing Phase 2, had acquired around 70,000 to 80,000 sq metres of Army Cantonment land on lease without making a monetary payment. In return, SRFDCL agreed to construct residential quarters for Army personnel in Bhuj and Dhrangadhra.”Construction of the quarters in Bhuj was taken up for Rs 24.27 crore, while the Dhrangadhra project cost Rs 15.90 crore, the official said. The projects marked SRFDCL’s first construction work outside the Riverfront project area.An SRFDCL official said the tunnel was necessary because the approach road near The Ummed hotel falls within the firing-range area. Building a tunnel beneath the restricted zone would allow the road connection to be created without interfering with Army operations.With the TP scheme now approved at the preliminary stage, AMC and SRFDCL can proceed with design finalisation, technical studies and applications for the remaining permissions. The construction schedule will depend on the Army’s NOC, technical clearances, funding and the appointment of an executing agency.
