Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari today assured Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal to approve upgradation and construction of various national highways and other roads in the state costing Rs. 5,000 crore. Besides, he also promised to initiate pending road projects after meeting with senior officers and NHAI at the earliest in this regard.Punjab Deputy CM Mr. Badal today called on Union Minister Mr. Nitin Gadkari at New Delhi and discussed pendency of road projects vis-à-vis pending wild life clearances with Ministry of Environment and Forest.
He informed that NHAI has finalized the DPR for 6-laning with alignment starting from Sector-39 junction Chandigarh following NH-21 and NH-95 upto Samrala Chowk Ludhiana under BOT Mode but yet to obtain necessary Forest, Environment and Wild Life clearances for the project that would consume enough time. Moreover, bidding of project on BOT mode was only wastage of time as bidders were not coming for participation in BOT projects. He emphasized that it would be better if this project is also allowed on EPC mode instead of BOT mode as this would advance the project by at least 6 months. During the meeting Union Minister has assured to give green signal for this project within this month.
Deputy Chief minister also requested the Union Minister that Phagwara–Rupnagar national highway road should also be considered for 4-laning under NHDP for facilitating the commuting traffic, fostering agricultural development and providing high speed link to state capital. He informed the minister that traffic on this road has increased many fold and average annual daily traffic was nearly 20000 PCUs. Further, with the upcoming of International Airport at SAS Nagar, traffic on this road is expected to increase further. After hearing the demands put forth by Punjab Deputy CM patiently, Mr. Gadkari assured that Union Ministry would clear the projects at the earliest.
Badal also asked Mr Gadkari to direct the NHAI to start work on 6-laning of Amritsar bypass as its DPR is ready and the construction work could be taken up on EPC mode at the earliest.He also sought form the minister to consider ring road project around Ludhiana city under NHDP on EPC mode. Mr Badal informed the minister that to ease traffic congestion in Ludhiana city, State Government is constructing 4-lane Southern Bypass around Ludhiana starting from NH-1 near Doraha and connecting NH-95 (Ludhiana-Moga section) just outside the city along Sidhwan Canal. Adding he said that there was an urgent requirement for extending this bypass further and connecting it again with NH-1 near village Laddowal towards Jalandhar side. With extension of this Southern Bypass upto Laddowal, Jalandhar bound traffic would not have to enter the Ludhiana city and also give relief to urban traffic.
The length of this proposed Greenfield Bypass would be 16.58 Km. He offered that State Government was also ready to bear some percentage of the cost of land acquisition. Deputy CM also apprised the minister to issue necessary directions to NHAI to take over left out portion of NH-95 within MC limits in Ludhiana for its early improvement as Ludhiana Corporation is ready to transfer of portions of NH-95 from Samrala Chowk to MC limit Ludhiana to NHAI having length of 10 Km approx.