Plea filed over years-long delay in Adampur flyover completion

A public interest petition has been filed before the Permanent Lok Adalat in Jalandhar seeking urgent intervention in the prolonged and incomplete construction of the Adampur flyover, a critical infrastructure project that has been stalled since its inception in 2016.

The plea, filed by local advocate Mayan Ranaut through his counsels Advocate Vikram Dutta and Advocate Taranum Ranaut, highlights severe hardships faced by commuters, residents and businesses due to the abandoned flyover on National Highway-3 (formerly NH-70) connecting Jalandhar to Hoshiarpur.

The project, sanctioned nearly a decade ago with an estimated cost of Rs 130 crore and a two-year completion timeline, remains unfinished more than seven years later. The petitioner argued that this delay was not merely an administrative lapse, but a violation of the fundamental rights, particularly the right to life with dignity and the freedom of movement under Articles 21 and 19(1) (d) of the Constitution.

The plea outlines the grave consequences of the stalled construction, including massive traffic congestion, daily delays of up to 45 minutes and life-threatening situations due to emergency services being held up at an unmanned railway crossing near the site.

“The impact has been particularly harsh on students, professionals, airport passengers and local business owners, many of whom report significant losses in productivity and sales,” said advocate Dutta.

He said despite acquisition of land and removal of over 120 encroachments by the administration in 2022, there had been no substantial progress of the project on the ground.

The petitioner alleged that systemic administrative indifference and neglecting of statutory duties by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and other respondents stalled construction of the flyover.

The Lok Adalat Bench comprising Chairman Jagdeep Singh Marok and members DK Sharma and Sushma Handoo took cognisance of the matter and issued notices to the key authorities, including NHAI, Project Public Services Limited (PPSL), Punjab Infrastructure Development Board, the Municipal Corporation, PWD and others. The matter has been listed for hearing on June 16.

Among the remedies sought, the petitioner requested immediate directions to resume construction, formation of a Local Infrastructure Oversight Committee led by the Deputy Commissioner and interim relief measures such as better traffic management, pedestrian safety provisions and improved signage.

The petition underscored the broader issue of accountability in public infrastructure delivery and called upon the judiciary to ensure that civic rights were not sacrificed due to official apathy.