Three days after Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari wrote to the Punjab government threatening to terminate eight National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) projects in the state due to the “prevailing law and order situation,” Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann responded on Tuesday, reaffirming his government’s commitment to completing these projects. Mann pledged to engage directly with farmers to ensure the projects progressed.
Addressing allegations of violence against NHAI contractors, Mann said that police investigations revealed both incidents were linked to causes attributable to the contractor: one was due to over-excavation, while the other stemmed from unpaid dues to a subcontractor.
On challenges in land acquisition, Mann said, “The farmers are deeply attached to their land, which is their main source of livelihood. Land prices in Punjab are high, and our farmers are reluctant to part with their lands, if they feel the compensation is inadequate.”
He pointed out that delays were caused by NHAI either challenging or its slow acceptance of the arbitrators’ awards, along with contractors taking longer to mobilize after the land was handed over.
Mann assured Gadkari that the Chief Secretary holds regular reviews with Deputy Commissioners and NHAI officials and addresses their issues.
The ground report
So far, around 1,000 km has been acquired for highway projects in the state, with contracts awarded for 88.03% of the total project length. Of the 1,764 km of highways to be built by NHAI, contracts worth ₹53,552 crore have been awarded for 1,553 km.
Punjab’s key projects greenfield projects under the Bharatmala Pariyojna include the Mohali-Sirhind-Khanna Bypass, which will connect major cities – including Malerkotla and Barnala – over 108 km, and the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway, spanning 669 km across multiple states. The expressway is expected to reduce travel time between Amritsar and Delhi from eight hours to four. Similarly, the Mohali-Sirhind-Khanna-Barnala Bypass is projected to reduce travel time from 2.5 hours to 1.5 hours.
The total length of highways to be constructed by NHAI in Punjab is 1,764 km, with a budget of ₹58,875 crore. Contracts for 1,553 km have already been awarded. The issuance of a letter of award indicates that the contract is confirmed, and work begins once land acquisition is complete.
The total length of highways to be constructed by NHAI in Punjab is 1,764 km, at a cost of ₹58,875 crore. Of this, contracts have been awarded for 1,553 km, costing ₹53,552 crore, which constitutes 88.03% of the total project length. The letter of award signifies that the contract has been awarded and the execution date begins once the entire land has been acquired. According to sources, over 1,000 km of land has already been transferred to NHAI following land acquisition.
AAP Punjab wing Neel Garg spokesperson slammed the Union government’s portrayal of Punjab, saying, “The Union government is projecting Punjab in a bad light by claiming that law and order issues prevail in the state. NCRB data shows an improvement when compared to the previous regimes of the Congress and Akali governments. If there are land acquisition issues, the government needs to address them, as farmers feel compensation is inadequate compared to market rates.”
Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner Sakshi Sawhney said no projects had been scrapped, but some contracts were terminated due to land acquisition delays. She added that new letters of award were being issued for the affected stretches.
The three terminated projects include the Ludhiana-Rupnagar highway (47.24 km, costing ₹1,488.23 crore), the Southern Ludhiana bypass (25.24 km, costing ₹956.94 crore), and the Amritsar-Tanda project (31.5 km, costing ₹818.44 crore). These projects total 103.98 km with a combined cost of ₹3,263.58 crore.
Gadkari’s letter also cited slow progress on projects covering 293 km at a cost of ₹14,288 crore, with some projects showing minimal progress. These projects include various packages of the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra (DAK) highway, the Amritsar-Bathinda and Ludhiana-Bathinda highways, and the Ludhiana-Rupnagar highway. As per the Union Ministry, these projects’ progress ranges from 10% to 42%, with no progress made on some.
Sources say that contractors have raised claims against NHAI for projects where land acquisition was not completed even after two years. Once over 80% of the land is acquired, the letter of award is issued, and work begins on the ground.
AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjeev Arora expressed concern over the contract terminations but remains hopeful for a swift restart of the projects. “I have been regularly coordinating with the state and Union governments on NHAI projects connecting Ludhiana and surrounding areas,” he said.
The Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU, Ekta-Ugrahan) criticized the Union government’s approach, emphasising that inadequate compensation for land acquisition is the real issue.”Farmers are opposing the forced acquisition of their lands, and the government is presenting this resistance as a hindrance to development,” said BKU (Ekta-Ugrahan) president.
This is not the first time such instances have cropped up. BKU Ugrahan general secretary Sukhdev Singh Kokriikalan recalled similar resistance from farmers when their land was being acquired in Barnala and Mansa.
Targeting the state government, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring said, “Punjab has already lost projects worth ₹3,263 crore. AAP’s laxity is only making things worse.”
Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal also expressed concern, saying, “I’m alarmed by the termination of three road projects and potential cancellation of eight more, as indicated in Nitin Gadkari’s letter. The state’s growth has declined drastically since the SAD-led government left office in 2017.”
Addressing allegations of violence against NHAI contractors, Mann said that police investigations revealed both incidents were linked to causes attributable to the contractor: one was due to over-excavation, while the other stemmed from unpaid dues to a subcontractor. (Express Archives) 
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