Punjab Cabinet Minister Harjot Singh Bains today called upon Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari. He was accompanied by Rajya Sabha member from Punjab Sanjeev Arora. During the discussion, Bains highlighted the historical and geographical significance of Sri Anandpur Sahib and discussed the road infrastructure needs of the region.
He stressed the critical necessity of four-laning the roads connecting significant religious places such as Sri Kartarpur Sahib, Sri Anandpur Sahib and the Hindu pilgrimage place Sri Naina Devi to facilitate smoother pilgrim movement. Bains pointed out that detailed project reports (DPRs) for these road projects have already been prepared.
Notably, Harjot Singh Bains has already corresponded with the union government in recent times. He stressed the urgent requirement of four-laning the road from Sri Kartarpur Sahib to Himachal Pradesh's Una district border at Mahitpur.
He further explained that pilgrims from Malwa, Doaba and Majha regions extensively use the Banga-Sri Anandpur Sahib route, which is currently a link road prone to frequent accidents. He requested upgrading this route to a national highway with four-lane connectivity.
The Cabinet Minister proposed constructing a new 50-kilometer greenfield expressway from Sri Anandpur Sahib to Sri Chamkaur Sahib to further connect Himachal Pradesh with the industrial city of Ludhiana in Punjab. "If this 50 km long expressway is constructed, it will connect the Ropar-Ludhiana Highway and the Kiratpur-Manali Highway, mentioned Bains, suggesting naming this road “Guru Gobind Singh Expressway”.
Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari expressed his approval for four-laning the road from Sri Kiratpur Sahib to Himachal border Mehatpur, for four-laning the road from Banga to Sri Anandpur Sahib by giving it the status of National Highway and for constructing a new greenfield expressway “Guru Gobind Singh Expressway” from Sri Anandpur Sahib to Sri Chamkaur Sahib. H
e assured that work on these projects will be started soon. He instructed officials to expedite work on the Kiratpur-Nangal road, furnish the project file of the Banga-Sri Anandpur Sahib road and conduct studies for the proposed new expressway.
It's noteworthy that Harjot Singh Bains has been consistently working towards regional development. Under Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann's leadership, several development projects are currently underway in Sri Anandpur Sahib.