Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today appealed to the Prime Minsiter Naridner Modi to treat the upgradation of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Marg linking three Holy Takhats of Sikh religion as “a national project and to expedite upgradation of the Phase II of the Marg which symbolizes the spirit of national unity, integrity and pride for which the Sikh Gurus and their followers made supreme sacrifices.” The Chief Minister would soon formally take up the issue with the Prime Minister as well as with the Union Surface Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari to press for the completion of the upgradation of the road project as a top-end national communication network project.“This key artery of our religio-cultural heritage stands out as a symbolic pathway of nation’s progress from years of repression and slavery to a life of religious dignity and political freedom. As such, it deserves to be show-cased as a monument of national pride and religious zeal,” said the Chief Minister in a statement in Chandigarh this morning.
The Chief Minster also appealed to the Prime Minsiter to convene a high-level meeting involving, apart from Mr Gadkari, Chief Ministers of all the states, apart from Punjab, through which this historic road passes. These states are Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. The Chief Minister’s appeal to the Prime Miniser came after a high level meeting he held with the state government officials to review and expedite work on the Punjab segment (Phase I )of this key road network from Takhat Sri Keshgarh Sahib, Anandpur Sahib, to Takhat Sri Damdama Sahib, Talwandi Sabo. The Punjab segment covers a distance of 588 kilometers and marks the path travelled by the tenth Master, Sri Guru Gobind Singh ji, from Anandpur Sahib to Talwandi Sabo in what is regarded by Sikhs all over the world as “passage of profound emotional and spiritual significance in a life packed with unprecedented sacrifices and boundless courage,” said Mr Badal after the meeting.On the national map, the road stretches from Sri Anandpur Sahib to Takhat Sri Dam Dama Sahib (Talwandi Sabo) in Punjab and then on to Takhat Sri Hazoor Sahib (Nanded) in Maharastra. A portion of 1123.30 Km of this rout falls in the state of Rajasthan with 690.90 Km portion on National highway, whereas, 163.90 Km falls in Haryana, 630.2 Km in Madhya Pradesh, 362.40 Km in Maharashtra, 18 Km in Delhi and 177 Km of this rout falls in Uttar Pardesh.
The Chief Minister emphasized the need for expediting work on Phase II of the project , involving the extension of the Marg beyond Talwandi Sabo to Takhat Sri Huzoor Sahib, Nanded, virtually spanning the length of the country, symbolizing the unity of the nation. He directed the state government officials to complete the ongoing up-gradation work of the Phase I of the Marg’ from Sri Anandpur Sahib to Takhat Sri Dam Dama Sahib (Talwandi Sabo) under the first phase. The premiliary surveys on Phase II of the project had been undertaken sometime back and the Chief Minister’s appeal to the PM comes in the wake of some bottlenecks that the project had encountered in some states in its earlier version . A team of PWD officials and experts had recently surveyed the part II route and identified the portions required to be strengthened by the respective estate governments.
The Chief Minister further directed the department to prepare a design for milestone and destination display board with information of the historic background of each site along the path The meeting chaired by the CM was atteneded among others by PWD (B&R) Minister Mr. Janmejha Singh Sekhon, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister SK Sandhu, Special Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Mr. Gaggandip Singh Brar Secretary PWD(B&R) Mr. Anurag Aggarwal, and Chief Engineer Mr. GR Bains besides other senior officers of PWD(B&R).