The slow progress of building this 0.8-kilometre stretch, which includes the approach roads for a railway overbridge on the Dhuri-Malerkotla road, has frustrated residents and sparked public-interest litigation (PIL) that brought the issue to the high court. The project is designed to connect Pakhowal Road’s 200-foot stretch to an overbridge (ROB) on the Dhuri-Malerkotla railway line. While the ROB was completed in Sept 2023, work on the approach roads remains unfinished.
The delays, attributed to administrative hurdles, changes in govt, and technical setbacks, have left residents grappling with disrupted traffic patterns and extended commute times. The project’s foundation stone was laid in 2012 under plans to alleviate traffic congestion in Ludhiana. Land acquisition and initial work proceeded, but momentum stalled after a change in state leadership. Glada transferred funds to the railways during the Congress administration, but technical complications delayed the construction of the ROB even though land had been acquired.
In Sept 2023, the ROB became operational, prompting Glada to invite fresh tenders in Oct. The contract for constructing the approach roads was awarded to JK Info company, with a completion target set for Dec 14, 2024. However, public impatience and the court’s intervention have amplified the urgency to expedite the remaining work.
The high court’s directive underscores the importance of meeting the Dec 31 deadline to avoid further delays and restore traffic flow, promising relief to residents long inconvenienced by the stalled project.
In the opinion of construction industry’s experts, it may take at least 3 more months for this work to be completed, and that it may be difficult to deliver it by the court-appointed strict deadline.
Even Glada had filed a status report in Dec 2023 that that the ROB was one of the obstacles in completing the road but the railways had made it functional sometime in Sept 2023, where after, fresh tenders were invited on Oct 16, 2023. Anog with the contract, JK Info had received one year to complete the road, and that deadline, as mentioned earlier, is about to lapse.
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