The Punjab government would soon enact a law to make illegal hoardings a criminal offence to check the increasing practice defacing the cities besides impacting the revenue of municipalities.This was disclosed by Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Mr.Sukhbir Singh Badal while interacting with media after inspecting the work on road along Sirhind canal. Mr. Badal said that the cabinet has already given nod to the new advertisement policy under which electronic bill boards would dot the cities. He said the cabinet would also soon approve a law for criminal provisions for putting up illegal hoardings. He said that the Punjab Government has decided to widen all the roads along the canals in the state with a view to upgrade this archaic road network besides providing better commuting facilities especially to the rural commuters .He said that he has asked to identify such important routes. He said that after completion of identification process, the construction of new roads would be started soon.He said that he issued directions for expediting work on Ropar-Neelon-Doraha canal-side and to conclude the project within stipulated time period besides maintaining the quality of work. Mr. Badal said that the focus of SAD-BJP government in its second term was to make road infrastructure in the state best in the country as the four lane roads network to make the state epicentre of investment. He was happy that Punjab would be the only state in the country that would have its 90% National Highways four lane by next year. He said that with the completion of all ongoing projects 1600 Kilometers out of total 1703 Kilometers of National Highway would be four laned by December 2013.He informed that he has already given nod to four laning of 10 important roads at the cost of Rs 1357 crore, and asked the department to put four laning of Ropar-Chamkaur Sahib-Neelon-Doraha Road along Sirhind Canal, Kotkapura-Muktsar Road, Batala-Mehta-Beas Road, Kapurthala-Nakodar-Phillaur Road, Maanpur Head to Jagraon-Raikot Road along Abohar Branch, Maanpur Head to Barnala-Raikot Road along Bathinda Branch, Nidampur-Lehra Road along Ghaggar Branch, Rayya to Khara along Sabhraon Branch and Tanda-Shri Hargobindpur-Amritsar Road on fast-track and directed for its completion within next two years.He said that ambitious four laning of Zirakpur-Patiala (Rs 501 Crore), Patiala-Bathinda (Rs 2007 crore) has got nod of Cabinet Committee of Infrastructure Projects, whereas for Amritsar-Sri Ganganagar, Jalandahr-Jind Road, alignments have been already approved. He said that six laning of Shambhu-Jalandhar Road would be completed by June next year. Mr. Sharanjit Singh Dhillon PWD Minister also accompanied the Punjab Deputy Chief Minister.
--