Punjab to build two bridges to connect border villages across Ravi

The two bridges, to come up at a cost of ₹190 crore, will be built at Makora Pattan in Gurdaspur and Keeri Pattan in Pathankot district of Punjab

The Punjab government has finally given the administrative approval for constructing two key bridges on the Ravi in Gurdaspur and Pathankot districts to connect villages that fall between the river and India’s border with Pakistan.

A pontoon bridge, built by the PWD, has to be dismantled for four months during the monsoon, snapping the road link of seven border villages in Gurdaspur every year. (HT File Photo)

The bridges, to come up at a cost of ₹190 crore, will be built at Makora Pattan in Gurdaspur and Keeri Pattan in Pathankot. The Government of India had approved ₹100 crore and ₹90 crore for the two projects, respectively, under the Central Road and Infrastructure Fund last year. However, the project had failed to take off.

According to Sunny Deol, who represents the Gurdaspur Lok Sabha constituency, the Punjab government has finally expedited the project after the intervention of Union minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari.

At Makora Pattan, about 3,500 villagers are living in a cluster of seven hamlets near the international border across the Ravi. A pontoon bridge, built by the public works department (PWD), has to be dismantled for four months during the monsoon (July to October), snapping these villages’ road link with the rest of the country.

Similarly, many villages fall across the river at Keeri Pattan and the locals face several hardships, especially during monsoons. For long, villagers and social organisations had been urging the central and state governments to build a permanent structure, but did not get any respite.

After Gadkari’s intervention, says MP Sunny Deol

“For political reasons, the state government was not giving administrative approval to the project. I met the Union minister Nitin Gadkari last week and made him aware of the issue. He then summoned the state government and sought an explanation, which finally led to the approval,” said Deol, while sharing information about the development.

According to Pankaj Joshi, personal assistant to Deol, the Centre had approved funds for the two bridges about eight months ago. He said the construction is expected to begin within two months.

Gurdaspur deputy commissioner Ishfaq Mohammad said he had just received the letter regarding the administrative approval, and only the PWD officials could confirm details about the project launch and deadline. However, the state PWD officials could not be contacted despite repeated attempts.