Work on Bypass Ring Road stretch stopped

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, June 20

The four-laning work on a stretch from Bypass Ring Road to Majitha has again stopped as the Public Works Department (PWD) has not released the payment to the construction company.

The PWD did not receive a grant of Rs 18 crore from the Punjab Urban Development Authority (PUDA) for the four-laning of the stretch.

The company has dug up the stretch from the bypass road to Naag village but after not receiving its payment, it stopped the work.

Now, vehicles move at a snail’s pace on the narrow bumpy stretch. Commuters have been suffering due to the delay in the four-laning of the road. The construction of the 10-km four-lane project started around three years ago.

Although Rs 83 crore was sanctioned for the project, the work is yet to be completed. As per officials of the PWD, almost 75 per cent work of the project has been completed.

People are facing inconvenience while commuting on the road near Naushehra and Pandori villages. The road connects Majitha and Fathegarh Churian with the holy city. A large number of people commute on the road every day. School buses and ambulances ferry students and patients, respectively, to the city through the same road.

Ironically, there is no good alternative route is available for the commuters as the Fatehgarh Churian road is also narrow and witness accidents almost every day.

Gurdev Singh, a resident of Pandori village, said, “We have been residing in hell like conditions for the past two years. The PWD had dug up the road but it has not been recarpeted till date. There is air pollution due to the dust arises with the plying of vehicles. Besides, the stretch offers a bumpy ride to commuters. The incomplete work has added to the woes of the commuters.”

Inderjit Singh, Executive Engineer, PWD, said, “We have not received a grant of Rs 18 crore. So, the work has been stopped. We hope that the PUDA will release the grant soon. The four-laning of the road will be resumed at the earliest.”

Commuters face a tough time 

The company has dug up the stretch from the bypass road to Naag village but after not receiving its payment, it stopped the work. Now, vehicles move at a snail's pace on the narrow bumpy stretch. Commuters have been suffering due to the delay in the four-laning of the road. The construction of the 10-km four-lane project started around three years ago. Although Rs 83 crore was sanctioned for the project, the work is yet to be completed. As per officials of the PWD, almost 75 per cent work of the project has been completed.