Ring Road will be game changer for city traffic

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, October 13

Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal performed the groundbreaking ceremony of the Ring Road project at Patel Nagar near the Bathinda-Barnala highway on Sunday. The project worth Rs 95 crore will decongest traffic on city roads to some extent and help commuters reach Mansa Road from Barnala Road in little time.

The Finance Minister said, “The credit of starting this project goes to the Deputy Commissioner as he has not only extended full support but also burnt the midnight oil to expedite the paper work. This four-lane road with a green cover will have a length of nearly 5 km. Besides, a railwayunder bridge will also come on it. It will be 200-ft wide road with 24 ft for the green cover.”

“The road will be built on a 45-acre area starting from the National Highway-7 (Bathinda-Patiala Road) through Industrial Area up to ITI Chowk (Bathinda-Mansa Road). It will also reduce commuters’ travel distance,” he added.

Meanwhile, a group of residents from Dhobiana Basti reached the venue and expressed concern over the project. They said their houses might be demolished. Congress leaders assured them that nothing is going to happen and they would work out a solution.

The distance from the Barnala side to Mansa, Dabwali and Takht Sri Damdama Sahib will also be reduced.

Manpreet said nearly 6 to 8 km would be reduced from Barnala Road to Mansa Road and vice-versa.

In his address, Manpreet added that the colonies of the Improvement Trust would also be increased soon. He said in Bathinda, the industry was expanding in the coming years so that the city could become an industrial hub.

The Finance Minister also released a book, ‘Manja Banta Rte Parkaraj Da Lokdharai Parpekh’ written by Arshadeep Kaur on the occasion.

DC B Srinivasan, DSP Gurjeet Romana and Improvement Trust Chairman KK Aggarwal were present on the occasion.