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Tribune News Service
Nitin Jain
Ludhiana, July 29
Prolonged delay in the possession of acquired land and declaration of compensation, coupled with tardy disbursement of awards, have forced contractors of several projects in Punjab to foreclose or terminate contract agreements and raise claims against the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).
AWARDS PENDING
845.3 hectares
The stumbling trail
- Work underway on 1,500 km highway in state
- Rs 52,000 crore is total cost
- 3 projects worth Rs 3,303 cr have been terminated
- Termination process initiated for 4 projects worth Rs 4,942 cr
- 31 projects measuring 1,150 km, worth Rs 42,175 cr, stalled
(Source: NHAI)
So much so that 15 of the total 42 projects of the NHAI have been delayed, an official report has revealed. The NHAI will table the report before Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who will chair a high-level meeting to review the status of the major infrastructure development projects in the border state and some other states, in New Delhi on Wednesday, officials have said.
On July 15, at a meeting that went on for over six hours in New Delhi, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari had expressed concern over the status of the NHAI projects in Punjab and directed Central and state functionaries to ensure their resumption.
The development assumes significance as “The Tribune” had, on July 12, highlighted that the unending farmers’ protests was costing Punjab dear — evident from the fact that the NHAI has already terminated three projects worth Rs 3,303 crore and the process is on to scrap another four costing Rs 4,942 crore.
In Punjab, the NHAI is developing 1,500-km-long highways at a cost of Rs 52,000 crore.
“The Delhi-Amritsar-Katra expressway, which is a multi-state project, with 11 of the total 18 packages criss-crossing through Punjab, will be on the top of the agenda,” said a source, adding that the PMO had sought a detailed presentation on the status of the projects.
As per the report, 15 projects have gone beyond their completion schedule. The budgetary expenditure for the construction and maintenance of highways and expressways during the past three years has also gone up from Rs 7,179 crore in 2021-22 to Rs 10,093 crore in 2022-23. It has risen further to Rs 12,419 crore in 2023-24.
Frustrated, the NHAI had approached the Punjab and Haryana HC in 2022. Subsequently, an order was passed in 2023, directing the state to facilitate the NHAI. However, not much has happened on the ground. Farmers’ protest against acquisition has compounded the problem, leading to withdrawal of major projects.
NHAI Chairman Santosh Kumar Yadav had recently sought the intervention of Punjab Chief Secretary Anurag Verma, following which he held a meeting with DCs, NHAI officers, project directors and the ADGP in Chandigarh.
Gadkari said: “We will be forced to recall/withdraw the projects if they are not restored and allocate new projects to states that are ready to undertake infrastructure development.” Meanwhile, Harbhajan Singh ETO, Punjab Pwd Minister, said the government would resolve all issues in a time-bound manner.
