Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Tuesday urged Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari for expansion and upgradation of national highways in the state and development of roads in border areas.
Capt Amarinder called for improving connectivity on Delhi-Amritsar-Katra expressway and the Anandpur Sahib-Naina Devi highway.
“Met Nitin Gadkari ji to discuss the expansion and upgradation of National Highways in Punjab. Urged for development of border roads, Delhi-Amritsar-Katra expressway and Sri Anandpur Sahib-Temple Shri Naina Devi ji connectivity,” Capt Amarinder tweeted.
Gadkari also took to Twitter to say that the Punjab Chief Minister had called on him. “We discussed ongoing highway projects in the state,” he tweeeted.
Seeking Gadkari’s intervention to speed up implementation of Delhi-Amritsar-Katra expressway project, the Chief Minister brought to his notice that alignment of the expressway was finalised in consultation with the states of Punjab and Haryana.
He said that the new alignment option proposed to be adopted would start from Amritsar and go straight up to Delhi western peripheral expressway or Kundli-Manesar-Palwal Expressway in Delhi, with spurs connecting important religious and economic centres such as Dera Baba Nanak, Qadian, Attari Border, Gandiwind, Tarn Taran, Goindwal Sahib, Makhu, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, ludhiana, Shri Muktsar Sahib, Malerkotla, Talwandi Sabo, Patiala, Moonak etc.
Capt Amarinder emphasized that the construction of this expressway, linking the national capital with two border states of Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir, was of extreme importance and the Ministry should ask the consultant to submit final draft of detailed project report based on final alignment at the earliest.
Seeking the upgradation, strengthening and development of missing links in Sri Hargobindpur-Batala-Fatehgarh Churian-Ajnala-Chogawan-Atari road in Punjab’s border area, the Chief Minister said that this 97.18 km road stretch was
very important for defence forces as it provides alternate routes for movement of army in the area.
The Chief Minister also sought nod for Rs 425.62 crore project submitted by the state for upgradation of 557 km road lengths of border districts of Ferozepur, Fazilka, Tarn Taran, Gurdaspur and Pathankot.
Seeking early in-principle nod for proposal for developing ring road for Chandigarh passing through Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh submitted by UT on priority basis, the Chief Minister said that early approval was required to finalise interstate alignments of the roads of three states and UT.
Promising to personally look into these projects, Gadkari issued instructions to the concerned officials of the Ministry and NHAI to monitor the progress of these projects on regular basis.
SEEKS FUNDS FOR CANAl WORK
A day before a case relating to Sutlej-Yamuna link (SYl) canal case was to come up for hearing in the Supreme Court, Capt Amarinder Singh met Gadkari who also has the charge of Water Resources and River Development for clearance of projects
Capt Amarinder, along with his Water Resources Minister Sukhbinder Sarkaria, also sought early nod for Rs 1,976 crore projects of relining of Rajasthan Feeder and Sirhind Feeder.
Notably, the Centre was asked by the Apex Court to mediate on the SYl issue between Punjab and Haryana. After Haryana moved the Apex Court for an early hearing, the matter is listed for Wednesday, September 5.
Earlier, Capt Amarinder, who has been stationed at the national capital since past five days, had also taken up the SYl issue with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, besides some other Union Ministers.
During his meetings, Capt Amarinder has been reiterating his stand that Punjab has no extra water to give to Haryana, considering the depleting underground water levels.