High Court orders GLADA to construct road link

Kuldip Bhatia

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Ludhiana, May 15

Complying with the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court issued while disposing of a civil writ petition (CWP) filed by the Samaj Sudhar Sewa Society (Dugri Dhandra), the Greater Ludhiana Area Development Authority (GLADA) authorities have floated fresh tenders for the construction of the missing link II between Dugri-Dhandra Road and the Dhuri railway line.

In the orders pronounced on the CWP (on May 7, 2015), the HC had mentioned the assurance given by the counsel for the respondents (GLADA in this case) that tenders for the work will be finalised within four weeks and the construction of the road (missing link) would be completed within six months.

Hailing the HC orders and the action initiated by the GLADA authorities in this regard, Sanjay Tiwari, general secretary of the Samaj Sudhar Sewa Society, said it was victory of the people of the residential areas and villages located along the Dhugri Dhandra Road-Dhuri railway line stretch.

In fact, the residents of these localities have been persistently pressing for early construction of 1.72 km portion of the missing link II of (Southern Bypass) to provide road connectivity to the area along the Dugri Dhandra-Dhuri railway line stretch.

The project has been hanging fire for more than four years when the land for the missing link was acquired and some 200 houses were also demolished for construction of the road at an estimated cost of Rs 18.49 crore. The GLADA authorities maintain that tenders were twice floated in July and September 2014 for the project but on both the occasions, bids could not be finalised for one or the other reason.

Officials of the development authority confirmed that e-bids for the work of construction of the missing link were invited from eligible contractors and construction agencies. Technical and financial bids would be opened on May 26 and 29, respectively, and work carried out as per the assurance given to the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

However, even after the construction of the missing link II, which might see the light of day in the near future, Southern Bypass would still take some more time to become fully operational as the case of another link with a length of little more than 2 km (from Dhuri Line to Gill Road) is still pending in the Supreme Court.