Sirsa MP Kumari Selja urges govt to ease highway rules, seeks resumption of key rail link

Member of Parliament from Sirsa Kumari Selja has raised concerns over the implementation of a new law affecting areas along National Highway-9 in the district, saying it has stalled development work and caused losses to residents, traders and investors.

In a letter to the Haryana Chief Minister, Selja said a notification issued on March 28, 2025, was enforced without prior notice or transition arrangements. As a result, construction work on about 601 projects in Sirsa district has been halted midway, leaving investments worth several crore rupees uncertain.

Selja said the stoppage has slowed urban development and reduced employment opportunities, while also leading to disputes between the local administration and the public. She warned that the situation could lead to growing social unrest if corrective steps were not taken.

Referring to a similar issue in 2009, Selja said the government had then issued a special notification allowing construction after collecting a prescribed fee, which provided relief to citizens and also generated revenue for the state. She demanded that the government issue a fresh notification to regularise all constructions undertaken before March 28, 2025, by charging a fee, and stay all punitive action until then. She said the move would help restart development projects, create jobs and benefit the state financially.

In a separate representation, the Sirsa MP has also demanded the early resumption of the Sri Ganganagar–Howrah/Sealdah Superfast Express, which has remained suspended since the Covid period.

Selja said the suspension had caused inconvenience to passengers from Sirsa and nearby districts travelling to eastern India. Without a direct train, passengers were forced to change trains several times, increasing travel time to 45-50 hours and raising travel costs.

She said the train played an important role in connecting Sirsa and neighbouring regions with eastern India for business, education, religious travel and tourism.