Mohali, Nov. 30 -- The much-awaited inauguration of the Greenfield Project in Mohali, scheduled for December 1, is likely to be delayed as landowners and members of farmers' unions have been staging a protest near the Banjeri village toll plaza for the past week. The protesters are demanding an entry and exit road near the toll plaza, which the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has termed unfeasible. The project, aimed at decongesting Airport Road by providing an alternative route for traffic heading towards Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, has already missed its June and September deadlines this year. Executed under the central government's Bharatmala Pariyojana at a cost of Rs.1,400 crore, the 31-km road runs from IT Chowk in Mohali to the Kurali-Chandigarh Road through the outskirts of Mohali city. Work on the project was initiated in October 2022 by a Maharashtra-based company and has been completed in over three years. Mohali deputy commissioner Komal Mittal has appointed a duty magistrate and directed the police to hold discussions with the protesters for a resolution. A senior NHAI official said the project was nearly complete, but the protest had pushed back the opening. "On Friday, the duty magistrate held a meeting with the protesters, but they remained adamant. Another round of talks is scheduled for Sunday, and we are hopeful of an amicable resolution, as constructing an entry or exit near the toll plaza is simply not possible. Once the protest is lifted, we will be able to open the road within the next couple of days. Some auxiliary work is currently hampered due to the agitation," the officer said. Gaurav Kansal, director of KBP Group, whose township falls along the new corridor, said the landowners should understand that creating entry and exit points at this stage was no longer feasible. "We have been waiting a long time for the project to open, as it will significantly ease traffic congestion in Mohali and Chandigarh. It will also benefit commuters from Himachal Pradesh and Jammu, who will no longer need to travel via Ludhiana," he said....