Captain asks Gadkari to connect four district HQs to 4, 6 lane NHs
Sunday, 16/07/2017
http://epaper.dailypostindia.com/Details.aspx?id=178495&boxid=59542&uid=&dat=2017-07-16
Chandigarh : Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Saturday has sought Union Minister of Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari’s intervention in expediting approval for connecting the remaining four district headquarters with 4 or 6 lane National Highways, besides declaration of Khanna-Malerkotla-Raikot-Jagraon-Nakodar as a new National Highway.
In a letter to Gadkari, CM has drawn his attention to several important issues pending consideration and finalisation in the Ministry of Transport and Highways, Government of India (GoI).
Pointing out that 18 of 22 districts of Punjab were already connected with 4 or 6 lane National Highways, Captain Amarinder said only Ferozepur, Mansa, Sri Muktsar Sahib and Fazilka districts still continue to be connected with 2-lane National Highways. His request for connecting these to 4/6 lane National Highways through approval of 4-laning of Barnala-Mansa section of NH-703 and Dabwali-Malout-Abohar-Fazilka section of NH-10 was pending with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), said the CM.
Captain Amarinder also requested that NHAI be directed to speed up the process of upgradation of Talwandi-Ferozepur and Mukatsar-Malout sections, apart from declaration of Khanna-Malerkotla-Raikot-Jagraon-Nakodar as new National Highway as it connects NH-1 (Now NH-44) No.1 through NH-95 with NH-71.
Another important issue raised by Amarinder Singh related to upgradation of Banga-Garhshankar-Anandpur Sahib-Naina Devi Road as a National Highway, for which the formal notification was still pending even though GoI had given in-principle approval.
While the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, GoI, in principle agreed to approve Annual Plan of National Highway (O) for Rs 1,049 crore, only one Rs 158 crore project has been given the go-ahead in the first phase.
He further urged the Ministry to resolve the pending issues related to 4-laning of Ludhiana-Talwandi Bhai section of NH-95 road, for which work was started in March 2012 by the NHAI through the consultant (M/s Essel Infrastructure) on BOT basis but was subsequently stopped.
HighligHts
Ferozepur, Mansa, Muktsar and Fazilka are still connected with 2-lane National Highways.
CM asked Nitin Gadkari to declare Khanna-Malerkotla-Raikot-Jagraon-Nakodar as new National Highway.
Capt Amarinder sought entrustment of 4 -laning projects to State PWD (B&R).
