No land, NHAI proposes to withdraw Ludhiana-Bathinda highway project

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, June 20

For want of land, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has proposed to withdraw the Ludhiana-Bathinda highway project, officials have confirmed. The development assumes significance as it has been over three years since the award of the project contract but the land has not yet been made available for the construction.

While the district administration claimed that the land acquisition proceedings had been expedited to pave way for the project, the NHAI reasoned that no substantial possession was handed over even over three years of the inception of the project.

Rajya Sabha MP Sanjeev Arora said the NHAI has proposed the withdrawal of Letter of Approval (LoA) for the project issued on November 9, 2021.

“The compensation of Rs 281.96 crore had been approved by the NHAI of which only Rs 103.08 crore had been disbursed so far while the physical possession was only obtained in a length of 2.8-km in Ludhiana district,” the NHAI blamed, while revealing that the 3G award of 48.34 hectares of land was also yet to be declared by Raikot SDM.

The NHAI officials briefed Arora that since the initial commencement of land acquisition works, there was very slow progress towards this project following which no substantial possession was handed over ever after over three years of the inception of the project. “Hence, a proposal for withdrawal of LoA is under consideration at NHAI headquarters,” they informed. Arora said he would raise the issue with Union Minister Nitin Gadkari to get the project restored.

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