E-Paper
Many NHAI projects hanging fire due to non-availability of land in Ludhiana
MP Sanjeev Arora met NHAI regional officer to discuss stalled projects in Punjab due to land acquisition issues, stressing completion for state's benefit.
Blurb:
Member of Parliament from Ludhiana Sanjeev Arora held a meeting with Vipnesh Sharma, regional officer, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), in Chandigarh, to discuss all the ongoing NHAI projects in Punjab.
Arora said during this meeting an important aspect came to light that many of the NHAI projects have been hanging fire due to non-availability of lands. The farmers are reluctant in giving their lands for the projects even though the compensation amount for the acquisition of these lands has been increased as per their demand.
Arora said he was apprised that land is not available for around 100-km long out of 400-km stretch passing through Punjab for the Delhi-Katra Expressway project. He added that most of this stretch is in Ludhiana and Gurdaspur districts. As a result, this project is still incomplete. He added that Haryana farmers have given the required lands to the NHAI for this project.
He added that the Ludhiana-Ropar Expressway project is also facing the same issue, resulting in the project being stalled due to non-availability of land by farmers.
Arora said the NHAI has been facing problems in acquiring some portions of land near Ucha Pind in Fatehgarh Sahib district for the Chandigarh-Kharar Highway project. He added he has now taken up this matter with the deputy commissioner, Fatehgarh Sahib, Parneet Shergill, who has assured him that she will soon do something concrete in this matter.
He said he has been apprised by Vipnesh Sharma that retendering of the southern Ludhiana Bypass Greenfield Highway Project has been done. Arora added orders for retendering of this project were issued by the Union minister of road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari when he had met him in Delhi Last month. This project is also getting delayed because the NHAI is not being given possession of 20% land by landlords concerned. This matter has been taken up with deputy commissioner, Ludhiana Sakshi Sawhney.
Arora said during his meeting, he was apprised that the tenders for constructing a 21-km-long cycle track along the Ladowal bypass have been floated by the NHAI. He added there is no land issue as far as this project is concerned. He hoped that work on this project would start soon. He said this project has been started as a pilot project by the NHAI because such kinds of projects rarely exist in the country.
Also, the project of parking slots along elevated roads in Ludhiana is in the works and is being handled by National Highway Logistics Management Limited.
Arora said Punjab will suffer a lot if the national highway projects are not completed due to non-availability of lands.
He said the issue of acquisition of lands can be handled only by the state government and the local administration. He said he is trying his best to resolve the issue for the betterment of Ludhiana and other parts of the state.
He said the construction of four bridges in the Sidhwan Canal is stalled because of the flowing river water. He said he has taken up this matter with the principal secretary, water resources, Punjab, Krishan Kumar, who is likely to decide about the date of closure of water gates by coming Monday. He added the contractor will start construction work on these four bridges as soon as the water recedes in the Sidhwan Canal.
