Four-laning of Pinjore-Baddi Highway to see light of day

Sanjay Bumbroo

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, May 30

Four-laning of the 36-km-long Pinjore-Baddi Highway announced by the Central Government in 2014 is likely to see the light of the day as the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will float tenders for the project soon.

The cost of the project has now increased from Rs510 crore to Rs731.67 crore and it will be completed in two and a half years. The project is likely to start in the month of August and the new road will give respite from traffic woes to lakhs of people of Himachal Pradesh as well as Haryana who visit the industrial town of Baddi.

This information was disclosed by Suresh Kumar Sharma, project director of the Shimla unit of the NHAI, to a RTI filed by advocate Vijay Bansal, president of the Shivalik Vikas Manch. He said the tender process had been started by the main office of the NHAI in New Delhi and the project was proposed to be completed in 30 months.

It is pertinent to mention here that Vijay Bansal had been pressing hard for starting the project and had even written to Central ministers and the Haryana Chief Minister.

Bansal said he had submitted a memorandum to the Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Nitin Gadkari, on June 5, 2020, demanding the four-laning of the Pinjore-Baddi Highway. He said at the present, the road was in a deteriorated condition and it takes hours for motorists to cross the 36-km stretch. He said due to heavy rush on the road, several lives have also been lost on the road.

Bansal said the four-laning of the road from Pinjore to Swarghat in Himachal Pradesh was approved by the Central Government and the road was to be widened up to 45 meters. A total of 54.9 hectares of land was to be acquired by the government. Of this, 28 hectares of land was to be provided by Himachal Pradesh. About 16 small and five large bridges were proposed to be constructed on the 36-km stretch. There are about 2,500 companies in the Baddi and Nalagarh areas of Himachal Pradesh and more than 35,000 vehicles, including staff buses of the companies, ply on this road.

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