Four laning of three NHs in progress in Punjab

Hoshiarpur, Dec 24 (UNI) The task of four-laning the Jalandhar to Pathankot, Chandigarh-Zirakpur and Jalandhar-Amritsar had begun under the supervision of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), Mr Ashok Kumar Sud, Chief Engineer, National Highways in Punjab disclosed here today.

The four-laning of the 35-km Amritsar-Wagah stretch as announced by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during his visit to Amritsar would begin soon after the land for this purpose is acquired, he said while talking to mediapersons.

Likewise NHAI would also four-lane the Amritsar-Pathankot and Zirakpur-Bahadurgarh (Patiala) national highway, he added. He said that 1740 km long 13 national highways passing through Punjab had recently been widened and strengthened.

Besides NHAI had also taken up the work to six-lane NH-I from the Shambu barrier with Haryana to Jalandhar, for which Rs 4000 crores were being spent. This work is expected to be completed in the next two and half years, Mr Sud added.

Mr P T Bali, Chief Engineer, Public Works Department (PWD) who was also present said that the total length of 7200 kms plan roads in Punjab had completely been strengthened and widened for the smooth flow of vehicular traffic.

NABARD had provided loan of Rs 400 crore for this purpose, while the Union government had given Rs 60 crore under the Central Road Fund. The state government had spent Rs 25 crore for this work and another sum of Rs 216 crore had also been received by the PWD under 30/54 head to complete the task, he added.

While pointing out development of roads on this large scale had never been undertaken in Punjab in the past, Mr Bali said that in the next financial year, narrow and unsafe bridges on plan roads would be replaced, for which survey was being started to dentify such structures.

Replying to a question, Mr Bali said that 80 per cent work for the repairing, strengthening and widening of the total length of 50,000 km link roads of the state had been done so far. He said that 30 km long new link roads in each assembly segment had also been undertaken.

He claimed that with the widening and strengthening of plan and link roads, Punjab would achieve another distinction, as no state in the country had achieved such a target. He said that construction of 24 railway over bridges in the state were in progress.

UNI XC-HS LL HT1458