NHAI nod for Asr-Delhi highway extension

editorial@tribune.com

Neeraj Bagga

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, April 19

The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has approved the proposal of Rajya Sabha MP Shwait Mailk to extend the eight-lane Delhi-Amritsar express highway via Moga, Barnala, Jind to Katra in Jammu and Kashmir. The project is worth Rs 60,000 crore.

The highway would be turned from Moga to Gurdaspur to link it to Jammu and Kashmir.

Malik said Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, called a meeting of top officials of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) in Delhi yesterday in which directions were issued to the officials concerned. “He directed NHAI officials to complete the formalities pertaining to Amritsar-Delhi highway by June this year and start the tendering process,” Malik said.

Malik had met Gadkari in Delhi on March 18 and handed over a memorandum to expedite the work on the expressway covering four states — Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal and Haryana.

Malik also raised the issue in the Parliament on April 8 and demanded early execution of this project. Thanking the Union Surface Transport Minister, he said the highway was strategically important and would be highly beneficial for commuters and the Indian Armed Forces.

The distance between Amritsar and Delhi will be reduced by 130 km and commuters can reach Delhi within four hours. It will also benefit the armed forces for their quick movement and deployment in case of any national emergency.

Malik said the project worth Rs 60,000 crore will cover 729 km. “It will pass through Moga, Barnala and Jind to Delhi. In addition, it will have fencing on both sides for uninterrupted flow of traffic and provide a smooth drive at a speed of up to 150 km per hour.