In Ludhiana city, Punjab’s industry and business hub, two major infrastructure projects that are expected to bring a major change in the life of the residents, are Ludhiana international airport coming up at Halwara and Elevated Road project. Both projects are currently under construction and set to be completed in 2023.
While it can still take at least 2-3 years to commence international flights from Halwara airport once the civil terminal becomes operational, the AAP government has announced to commence domestic flights from Ludhiana at the earliest. Currently, residents have to go to Chandigarh, Amritsar or Delhi to take flights, so an airport of its own is expected to save travel time of at least 3-6 hours even for domestic flights, for people of Ludhiana. An airport in Ludhiana has been a long pending demand of businessmen and industrialists from the city of riches.
The domestic airport at Sahnewal, from where flights to Delhi were operational before pandemic, is currently lying non-functional.
Similarly, the elevated highway project from Samrala chowk till MC limits via Bharat Nagar Chowk, being constructed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), is expected to relieve residents from massive congestion while traveling from Old City areas towards Ferozepur road, and targets to reduce travel time (end to end) from 30 minutes to 7-10 minutes only.
Here’s a look at both projects:
Ludhiana International Airport
The Indian Air Force (IAF) station at Halwara is being upgraded into an international civil airport at the total cost of Rs 46.91 crore. The project has two components- Interim Terminal building costing Rs 22.85 crore and construction of taramac area for Rs 24.06 crore.
International Airport coming up at Halwara (Photo: Gurmeet Singh)
Status: Work is in progress and the Public Works Department (Buildings and Roads) aims to complete it by June 2023.
Total area being developed: 162 acres
Why the delay: Even as the Punjab cabinet had approved international civil terminal project at Halwara in December 2018 under the previous Congress government, and the Greater Ludhiana Area Development Authority (GLADA) had taken the possession of 161.27 acres of land in May 2020, the civil work has been moving on a snail’s pace due to lack of funds.
The project which was started in December 2021 on the ground, has already missed the six-month deadline of June 2022. However, recently the work at the site has been resumed by the private contractor company -Synergy Thrislington- after some funds were released following the intervention of Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann. During the recent review meeting of the project, it was decided that initially the entire cost will be incurred by the Punjab government, and later the Airport Authority of India (AAI) will reimburse it.
A senior official from PWD said, “During the Congress government, it was announced that the entire project will be funded by the Punjab government via GLADA but then things slowed down. PWD was allotted the civil work in December 2021 and the deadline was to complete it by June 2022 but we did not receive any funds from GLADA as promised. Due to lack of release of funds, the contractor stopped the work at the site. We did not receive any funds till November 2022 and recently after CM Bhagwant Mann’s intervention, GLADA has released Rs 5 crore and the work has been resumed by the contractor. More funds need to be released at the earliest so that work isn’t stalled again by the contractor.”
Amarpreet Kaur Sandhu, chief administrator, GLADA said that the Punjab government will be releasing funds of Rs 50 crore soon for the project.
“As the work at the site has already been started by PWD Punjab, the cost of interim building, taxi truck, apron etc will be borne by the government of Punjab. The funds to the tune of Rs 50 crore will be released by the department of civil aviation, Punjab through allocation in the capital budget of the current financial year by the department of finance. Another Rs 20 crore will be released immediately by the department of housing and urban development through GLADA. The amount spent on the construction of the interim building will be reimbursed to the government of Punjab by AAI after monetization of assets belonging to Ludhiana airport at Sahnewal,” she said.
The name: CM Mann had announced that the Punjab government will propose to the Centre to name the airport after Kartar Singh Sarabha, the Ghadar revolutionary who was hanged by the British during the country’s freedom struggle when he was just 19.
4/6 lane Elevated Highway Project
Started in October 2017, the 4/6 lane elevated highway from Samrala Chowk to MC limits via city’s bottleneck Bharat Nagar Chowk and bus stand, is expected to relieve residents of Ludhiana from massive traffic congestion on Ferozepur road, the heart of the city (previously NH-95 and now NH-5).
Elevated Highway project under construction (Photo: Gurmeet Singh)
The project is being undertaken by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and is expected to complete in October 2023.
It initially met with a lot of resistance from city residents as at least 2000 trees were chopped for it from Ferozepur road. Once complete, it will reduce travel time from 30 minutes to 7-10 minutes (end to end).
KL Sachdeva, project director, NHAI Ludhiana, said that the total length of the project is 12.65 km of which 7.1 km of elevated structure is to be constructed including 510 meters long flyover at Cheema Chowk and 6.6 km long elevated portion from Bharat Nagar Chowk to MC limits.
“The Cheema Chowk flyover and elevated structure from Verka Chowk to MC limits (3.1 km) has been completed and remaining work is in progress. The remaining elevated portion includes 99 spans for which work has been completed upto piers (substructure). The superstructure work is being done in two parts: spines and wings. The spines have been erected for 71 spans (out of 99) and wings for 49 in this balanced portion,” he said.
Deadline: Likely to be completed by October 31, 2023
Cost: Rs 756.27 crore (funded by the Centre via union Ministry of road transport and highways)
Why the delay: The project has been delayed due to several reasons– overhead and underground utilities encountered on the site, resistance from locals against chopping of at least 2000 trees, electricity poles coming across the alignment etc but the work picked up pace recently.
Elevated highway project in Ludhiana (Photo: Gurmeet Singh) 
International Airport coming up at Halwara (Photo: Gurmeet Singh)
Elevated Highway project under construction (Photo: Gurmeet Singh)
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