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Punjab rolls out tenders for Dhuri ROB after central approval
Punjab Small Industries and Export Corporation chairman Dalvir Singh Dhillon said the ROB will significantly ease traffic congestion on the Dhuri Bypass and at railway crossings
Two days after the Union ministry of railways formally approved the construction of a railway overbridge (ROB) at Dhuri, the Punjab government has initiated the tender process for the long-awaited project that has been mired in political sparring for over a year.
Stating that bids had been invited by February 17, chairman of the Punjab Small Industries and Export Corporation, Dalvir Singh Dhillon said the ROB will significantly ease traffic congestion on the Dhuri Bypass and at railway crossings.
He said the overbridge will commence near Mahavir Mandir at Bagriyan Chowk and connect to the Dhuri Bypass. It will pass over the Shero Distributary Drain and span across both the Rajpura-Bathinda and Dhuri-Ludhiana railway lines.
He emphasised that the ROB’s completion will fundamentally transform Dhuri city by permanently relieving residents from frequent traffic jams at railway gates and by strengthening commercial, industrial and social activity.
The Punjab Infrastructure Development Board (PIDB) has reserved ₹54.76 crore for the construction of the bridge to complete the project in a time-bound and transparent manner. Public works department (PWD) sub-divisional officer Navdeep shared the project will be completed in two years once construction begins.
Dhillon said all procedural and preparatory formalities for the ROB had already been completed in advance by the Punjab government, enabling the tender process to be initiated within hours rather than days.
The chairman further stated that all statutory approvals from the departments concerned, including the forest department, Punjab State Power Corporation Limited and the water resources department, had also been obtained. Additionally, the required fund deposits with various departments and the land conversion process had been completed.
The Dhuri ROB has been a political flashpoint for over a year. In June last year, CM Mann, who represents Dhuri in the assembly, claimed the state government would entirely fund the ₹54.76-crore project and promised a completion timeline of 18 months.
However, Union minister of state for railways Ravneet Singh Bittu countered these claims, accusing the CM of “pure optics” and asserting that the state had failed to deposit any funds with the railways. The central approval earlier this week effectively shifts the project’s ownership toward the Centre.
