6,000 trees to be axed for highway widening

Parveen Arora

Tribune News Service

Karnal, October 23

Around 6,000 trees, including 3,500 fully grown eucalyptus, will be chopped for the widening of a 24.5-km stretch of the Nilokheri-Nigdhu state highway-33 to six lanes. Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had announced the project around three years ago.

The process to axe the trees has started after approval from the Union Government. Officials associated with the project are hopeful that the work to widen the highway will commence soon.

The highway connects Karnal district with Kaithal and Kurukshetra districts in Haryana and Patiala in Punjab. It is also one of the busiest roads that witnesses frequent traffic jams. The Chief Minister had announced the project during the Vikas rally at Taraori on August 9, 2015.

“The PWD (B&R) has allotted the tender of the project, costing around Rs 26 crore, to a private firm. The work is to be completed in 18 months,” said Amit Kaushik, SDO, PWD (B&R).

The existing width of the highway is 5.5 metres that would be widened to 10 metres, he added.

“We have deposited Rs 3.85 crore for axing trees. After clearing the area for road widening, we will start the work,” the SDO said.

Vijender Singh, District Forest Officer (DFO), said that after receiving permission from the Union Government for axing trees and diversion of forestland they had sounded the Haryana Forest Development Corporation, Karnal, for further work.

“The axing of trees has started and the department has planned to plant saplings in various areas to compensate for the felled trees,” he added.

Residents of the area are relieved, as they had been waiting for quite a long time for the widening of this highway. The previous government had also announced widening of the road, but nothing was done, said Amit Kumar, a resident of Nigdhu. He added that the road widening would give much-needed relief to local people.

Six-laning in Karnal

• A 24.5-km stretch of the Nilokheri-Nigdhu state highway-33 to be widened to six lanes
• The highway connects Karnal district with Kaithal and Kurukshetra districts in Haryana and Patiala in Punjab
• It is also one of the busiest roads that witnesses frequent traffic jams 
• The Chief Minister had announced the project during the Vikas rally at Taraori on August 9, 2015
• The project costing around Rs 26 crore is to be completed in 18 months