Basti Bawa Khel road project faces another hurdle

Rachna Khaira

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, October 21

The much controversial Basti Bawa Khel elevated road project has confronted yet another hurdle as its tender allotted by the Jalandhar improvement Trust (JIT) is set to expire on October 27.

According to Mukul Soni, Superintending Engineer, JIT, the Trust was yet to allot the tender to a successful bidder.

“Though the bidding took place last year, we did not allot tender as yet to the company as the MCJ did not release its share of money till date. Though the company has extended its deadline by October 27, it is also going to expire soon,” said Soni.

He said the JIT might have to float tenders again after the lapse of the deadline set by the company.

Though the JIT would execute the project of the construction of an elevated or a four-lane road between Jalandhar and Kartarpur estimated to be completed at a cost of Rs 55 crore, it would also contribute around 20 per cent (around Rs 11 crore) of the total execution cost. However, the Municipal Corporation of Jalandhar will have to bear the remaining 80 per cent (around Rs 44 crore) cost of the execution amount.

“We are unable to proceed with the work as the MCJ has not yet released any money to us. We have written to them to release the amount soon to prevent any further delay into the project conceived by Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal,” Soni said.

Tenants running shops at Basti Bawa Khel on Wednesday again repeated their demand for getting compensation against demolishing the shops they were running for the past 50 years and more.

“The MCJ should make efforts to rehabilitate around 40 tenants who do not have any other alternative to earn livelihood. What would they do once the shop would get demolished,” said Pawan Soi, a resident.

He said while the MCJ was planning to save around Rs 40 crore from the project by making a four-lane road instead of an elevated one, it was not ready to grant around Rs 8 crore to Rs 10 crore as compensation to rehabilitate the shopkeepers. He said the shopkeepers were also ready to buy any other land at some rebate price if offered by the MCJ.

The shopkeepers have accused area MLA Bhagat Chunni lal and Mayor Sunil Jyoti to have entered into a dubious deal with shop owners to get their property vacated by the tenants on the pretext of widening the road for the construction of the four-lane road.

The shopkeepers have demanded that either the MCJ should first remove encroachments to pave the way for the widening of the 70-ft road or should reduce the width of the four-lane road by 62 ft. With the present markings made by the MCJ, around 40 shopkeepers will be left with only 2 to 4 feet of area in their shops and they have threatened to approach the Punjab and Haryana High Court against the suspension of the project.