New Delhi, May 13 (IANS) Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday assured Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann of the completion of long-pending highway and flyover projects in the state.​

The stalled infrastructure projects were at Makhu, Adampur, and Bhawanigarh.​

At the meeting, Chief Minister Mann also raised the demand to declare strategically important roads, including the Ferozepur-Fazilka corridor near the international border, as National Highways, while pressing for faster execution of projects that have remained stuck for years due to delays and bottlenecks.​

The Chief Minister said the Centre also assured the four-laning of the Bhawanigarh-Kotshamir road via Sunam, Cheema Mandi, Bhikhi, Mansa, and Maur, as well as the expansion of the Barnala-Bajakhana and Malerkotla-Barnala corridors, in what is being seen as a major push for Punjab’s road connectivity, economic activity, and public safety.​

Chief Minister Mann said that Union Minister Gadkari appreciated the functioning of the state government’s ‘Sadak Surakhya Force’, launched to save lives and ensure safer highways across the state.​

He also raised the issue of the delayed Wallah Flyover project in Amritsar and urged Union Minister Gadkari to expedite the work in the larger public interest.​

“The Wallah Flyover project was awarded by the National Highways Authority of India and was originally expected to be completed by September 15, 2023. However, despite repeated extensions, the project remains incomplete, with physical progress currently at around 76 per cent against the revised completion date of April 30, 2026,” he said.​

The Chief Minister said, “The corridor is critically important as it connects Amritsar Airport with Sri Harmandir Sahib and handles heavy traffic movement, including frequent movement of Very Important Persons. The continued delay in the project has resulted in severe congestion, safety concerns, and immense inconvenience for commuters and local residents.”​

Raising another issue, the Chief Minister highlighted the need for the installation of a view cutter on the flyover at Husner Chowk in Gidderbaha on the Bathinda-Malout Road, which falls under the jurisdiction of the National Highways Authority of India.

​–IANS

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