The Punjab Government has denotified the bypassed stretches of seven state highways, thus making them a part of the city roads.The move is in line with the central government policy on national highways, which excludes bypassed stretches from the national highways and brings them under the city’s urban roads network.In an order issued here, the Punjab Government said the stretches of state highways where bypasses have been built to decongest the cities will no longer be included in the state highways.
The roads denotified by the order, dated April 3, 2017 and signed by Principal Secretary, Govt of Punjab, Department of Public Works, are:
• Hoshiarpur-Chandigarh (part of Hoshiarpur city)
• Balachaur-Garshankar (part of Balachaur city)
• Moga-Kotkapura (part of Moga city)
• Moga-Harike (part of Moga city)
• Gagan Chowk to Liberty Chowk (part of Rajpura City)
• JCS Saviour School to Bhaironpur Sirhind Chunni Road (part of Sirhind city)
• Malikpur Chowk to Dalhousie By-pass (part of Pathankot city)
The government has further clarified that as per the existing central government policy for national highways, certain bypassed stretches are already excluded from the highways.
These five highways are:
• Sambhu-Ludhiana-Jalandhar-Amritsar upto Wagah Border section NH1 (Ludhiana bypass, Jalandhar bypass, Amritsar bypass)
• Pathankot-Amritsar-Makhu-Faridkot-Bathinda-Malout-Abohar-Ganganagar upto Rajasthan border section of NH-15 (Dina Nagar bypass, Dhariwal bypass, Batala bypass, Kathunagal bypass, Verka bypass, Abohar bypass)
• Zirakpur-Patiala-Sangrur-Bathinda section of NH-64 (Patiala bypass, Dhanaula bypass, Sangrur bypass)
• Phagwara-Banga-Nawanshahr-Balachaur-Ropar NH-344A (Phagwara bypass)
• Kharar-Samrala-Ludhiana-Ferozepur Road section of NH-95 (Morinda bypass)
In addition, there are five national highways on which bypasses are expected to become functional during 2017-18, and once completed these stretches would also be out of the purview of the highways.
These are:
• Pathankot-Amritsar-Makhu-Faridkot-Bathinda-Malout-Abohar-Ganganagar upto Rajasthan border section of NH-15 (Amritsar bypass, Nashera bypass, Harike bypass, Zira bypass, Talwandi Bhai bypass, Mudki bypass, Faridkot & Kotkapura bypass)
• Zirakpur-Chandigarh-Ropar upto Himachal border section of NH-21 (Kurali bypass)
• Phagwara-Banga-Nawanshahr-Balachaur-Ropar NH-344A (Nawanshahr bypass)
• Kharar-Samrala-Ludhiana-Ferozepur Road section of NH-95 (Samrala bypass)
• Jalandhar-Moga-Barnala-Sangrur-Patran-Kanauri-Narwana-Rohtak upto Haryana border section of NH-71 (Nakhodar bypass, Shahkot bypass, Dharmkot bypass, Jalalabad bypass, Barnala bypass)