Work on Fatehgarh Churian road widening at snail’s pace

Charanjit Singh Teja

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, October 11

The government had decided to widen the Fatehgarh Churian road, one of the major roads leading to Dera Baba Nanak, before the 550-year birth celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev, but due to a delay in approval for shifting electric poles and axing trees, work on the project is going on at a slow pace.

On August 15, after unfurling the national flag at the Guru Nanak Dev stadium, Punjab Jail Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa had announced that the main road from Amritsar to Dera Baba Nanak, connecting Kartarpur Sahib Corridor, would be widened by 33 feet at a cost of Rs 88 crore. The work for widening the road had started on the same day. As per the announcement, initially the road up to Fatehgarh Churian was to be widened following which the project would cover Dera Baba Nanak.

During the last two months, the Public Works Department only dug trenches up to a few kilometres alongside the road. Officials of the PWD claimed that they had to take several nods to remove the trees and shift the poles.

Inderjit Singh, Executive Engineer, PWD, said, “There is no delay in the work. Earlier, we have to take permission from several departments. Now work is on in full swing and we will try to complete as early as possible.

However, there is no chance of completing the winding work before November 9, which is the expected date for opening the corridor. “It is not possible to complete it till November. It will take more months,” said the PWD official.

The Fatehgarh Churian road is one of the prominent stretches towards Dera Baba Nanak town adjoining international border between India and Pakistan. The road was quite narrow and in a pathetic condition. Situated close to Amritsar district, Fatehgarh Churian town falls in Gurdaspur district and the 24-km road connects both districts. The residents were hopeful that it would complete before the birth celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev.