41 NHAI projects in Punjab moving at snail’s pace last three years, says Nitin Gadkari
Nitin Jain
Tribune News Service
Ludhiana, August 9
As many as 41 national highway projects have been moving at a snail’s pace in Punjab for the past three years, the Centre has said.
Seven projects 80-90% complete
- Except seven small projects achieving 80-90% progress, the remaining 34 major projects have registered dismal progress
- The situation has turned bad to worse with farmers protesting against land acquisition resorting to assault and life threats to NHAI staffers
Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has cited land acquisition as major hurdle in the development of 1,500-km national highways at the cost of Rs 52,000 crore.
Gadkari has tabled in Parliament the current status of the ongoing highway projects being undertaken by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). Except seven small projects achieving 80-90 per cent progress, the remaining 34 major NHAI projects have registered dismal progress, mainly due to the land acquisition issues.
The situation has turned bad to worse with the farmers protesting against land acquisition resorting to assault and life threats to NHAI staffers, contractors and their men working in the state.
According to the status report compiled till August 7, a copy of which is with The Tribune, the 43.04-km Delhi-Amritsar-Katra expressway Phase-I Package-IX being constructed at the cost of Rs 2,337.33 crore was 56.84 per cent complete, Package-VII with 36.94-km length costing Rs 1,711.03 crore was 88.44 per cent complete, Package-X running 39.5-km at the cost of Rs 2,260.67 crore was 57.75 per cent complete, 43.02-km Package-XI worth Rs 2,206.71 crore had been constructed 41.97 per cent, 28.07-km Spur-III costing Rs 2,033.65 crore was only 21.35 per cent complete, 35.09-km Package-VIII worth Rs 1,969.96 crore was 30.83 per cent complete, 16.9-km Amritsar connectivity Spur-I costing Rs 2,165.23 crore was 12.71 per cent complete, and 35.28-km-long Package-XII worth Rs 1,734.18 crore has progressed only 10.22 per cent so far.
The Delhi-Amritsar-Katra expressway, which is the NHAI’s flagship multi-state project with 11 of the total 18 packages criss-crossing through Punjab, is on top of agenda for review at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting in New Delhi on August 28.
Among other incomplete NHAI projects are 45.73-km Amritsar-Ghoman-Tanda-Una NH-503-A Package-I worth Rs 843.23 crore (30.25 per cent complete), 38.978-km Amritsar airport junction-Ramdas section of NH-354 Package-IV worth Rs 416.58 crore (69 per cent complete), 49.944-km Amritsar Bypass Package-III worth Rs 1,474.77 crore (61 per cent complete), 31.23-km Mohali IT City Chowk to Kurali-Chandigarh NH-205-A costing Rs 1,525.31 crore (64.5 per cent complete), 39-km Amritsar-Bathinda NH-754-A Package-I worth Rs 1,229.38 crore (27 per cent complete) and 37.7-km Ludhiana-Ropar NH-205-K costing Rs 1,368.91 crore (15.31 per cent complete)
