Haryana Assembly Speaker assures service lanes along Karnal eastern bypass

Farmers under the banner of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) have called off their nearly three-month-long dharna after Haryana Assembly Speaker Harvinder Kalyan assured them that the Union Ministry and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) have approved the construction of service lanes on both sides of the eastern bypass between Meerut Road and Rasulpur village.

Farmers had started the ‘dharna’ along under construction eastern bypass and halted the construction work from February 6.

In a marathon meeting with the farmers at the rest house of the Karnal Cooperative Sugar Mill on Wednesday, Kalyan informed the farmers that land acquisition for the service lanes will begin soon, a process that requires some time.

“I raised the issue with Karnal MP and Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, who further took it up with the Centre. I have also personally taken the issue to the NHAI authorities. Initially, there was an option of constructing a retaining wall, but it was not viable under NHAI policy. The second option of acquiring land for service lanes has now been approved,” said Kalyan while chairing the meeting, which was attended by the Deputy Commissioner Dr Anand Kumar Sharma, Municipal Corporation Commissioner Dr Vaishali Sharma, Sugar Mill MD Aditi, officials of the NHAI and other departments.

He also said he personally visited the site with then DC Uttam Singh and held discussions with NHAI authorities to push the matter forward.

He emphasised that the Karnal Ring Road project, part of the ambitious Bharatmala Pariyojana, aims to ease traffic congestion on NH-44, improve connectivity, reduce travel time and boost development in surrounding villages.

Kalyan said while large development projects often face challenges due to policies and regulations, solutions are being worked out in a timely manner.

Kalyan expressed gratitude to Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, as well as Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, for their support in driving progress in the region.

DC Dr Sharma assured that the administration, in coordination with NHAI officials, will ensure its timely completion. BKU state president Rattan Singh Mann thanked the speaker and the state government for accepting farmers’ demand for service lanes.

He reiterated that the union has always supported development but considers farmers’ welfare a priority. “We have announced to suspend our dharna but if our demands are not met, we have an option to resume dharna,” he added.

Later, while interacting with media persons, Mann criticised the biometric system introduced in grain markets for procurement of wheat. He said a major meeting will be held in Jind on April 30, to decide the next course of action on other unresolved issues.

Speaker Kalyan, when asked regarding issuance of notice to Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda for holding a parallel Assembly session on Monday, said, “Reply has been sought from both the Leader of Opposition and the government regarding the matter. The Assembly Secretariat has been directed to prepare a detailed report to clarify the situation and determine the next course of action.”