Kamal Nath assures Punjab of clearing road projects

Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Kamal Nath on Monday assured Punjab government that all pending projects for the state under his ministry would be cleared within a fortnight.

Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Kamal Nath on Monday assured Punjab government that all pending projects for the state under his ministry would be cleared within a fortnight.

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Among the projects for which the assurance came included 14 roads and a bridge under Central Road Fund (CRF), besides none roads under Inter State Connectivity (ISC) scheme at a cost of Rs 351 crore and Rs 84 crore respectively.

A decision to this effect was taken by Nath in a meeting with Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, who called on him accompanied by state PWD Minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa in New Delhi, a release from the CM's office said.

Badal apprised Nath that 14 roads under CRF in Bathinda, Sangur, Ropar, Hoshiarpur, Mansa, Jalandhar, Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Kapurthala, Moga and Ferozepur districts besides a new high-level bridge along with approaches on both sides of river Satluj crossing Kot Budha Mallanwala Sabhraon Road between Ferozepur and Tarn Taran district were pending.

He also noted that nine roads covering a length of nearly 70 km under ISC projects included widening and strengthening of Ratia-Sardulgarh road, Ghanouli-Nalagarh road and Patiala-Pehowa road from Bhunerheri to Patiala.

Kamal Nath asked his Ministry to expedite the four-laning of 17.5-km Bathinda-Ghuda road under the CRF at a cost of Rs 18 crore during the current financial year.

He told the Chief Minister that his Ministry had already transferred the Zirakpur-Patiala-Bathinda Road (NH-64) to the state government for its execution through PWD.

He also directed the Chairman of National Highways Authority of India to work out the modalities for the transfer of NH-15 from Amritsar via Harike, Faridkot, Bathinda, Abhoar, Ganganagar upto Rajasthan border and NH-71 from Jalandhar via Moga, Barnala, Sangrur, Patran upto Haryana border to the State PWD department as 70 per cent of the length of these roads had already been widened to 10 metres.

He also asked Badal to direct the PWD Secretary to finalise the priority works to be executed under CRF and ISC with the senior officers of the Road Transport and Highways Ministry to enable it to approve these works at the earliest.

He also assured the Chief Minister that the request for proposal document for four-laning of Zirakpur-Patiala road (NH 64) would be soon approved by the Public-Private-Partnership Appraisal Committee.