Jalandhar byelection: Flyover work takes centre stage

Deepkamal Kaur

Jalandhar, May 2

The issue of the pending construction work on the flyover at Adampur on the Jalandhar-Hoshiarpur road has taken centre stage for all parties ahead of the Jalandhar Lok Sabha bypoll. The project was launched in 2016 and was to be completed by October 2019.

Since area residents had announced to boycott the bypoll and had put up posters of “no road, no vote”, they have been approached by leaders of all parties not to resort to such a measure. While the Centre has been blaming the state, the AAP-led government has said the delay was due to the Centre and the previous Congress and SAD-BJP governments.

As Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s roadshow was to pass through the service lanes of this flyover today, he chose to speak on the issue at the spot.

He said, “I have passed through this road several times. The work is being done through the Centre. I have spoken to Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on the issue. The contractor has left the work. I told him if he has left the work, another one can be roped in. I urged him that the state government should be allowed to construct the service lanes for the convenience of passersby. I will get this work done through state funds. ”

Union Minister Anurag Thakur too mentioned the delay in work at Adampur. In November last, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari had written to Mann asking him to personally intervene in the matter and hand over land for the four-laning of the highway so that the remaining work could be completed at the earliest. Gadkari had requested the CM to direct the Punjab PWD to ensure that the service lanes were maintained well for smooth flow of traffic to avoid inconvenience to road users.