Approval given to Rs 80-cr railway projects for Gidderbaha: Manpreet Badal

Senior BJP leader and former Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal on Sunday claimed that he had received a letter regarding the approval for the construction of a railway overbridge (RoB) and a railway underbridge (RUB) in Gidderbaha, to be built at an estimated cost of Rs 80 crore.

In a video posted on his Facebook page, Manpreet said, “The approval has been granted for the construction of the railway overbridge and the railway underbridge in Gidderbaha. I received a letter in this regard last night. I thank the Union Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu. I also thank Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This was a long-pending demand of the residents of Gidderbaha.” While campaigning for Manpreet during the Gidderbaha bypoll in October last year, Ravneet Singh Bittu had assured the residents that their railway-related demands would be fulfilled. In May this year, the railway authorities initiated the process to build a railway overbridge) as the first step.

Talking to The Tribune, a senior railway official said as per the current policy, an RUB has to be constructed wherever an RoB is being built. “The construction of the RoB and RUB has been shortlisted. It is final that both will be built in Gidderbaha,” he said.

Gidderbaha residents had staged a 33-day protest in support of their demands. It was called off on October 24 last year after Bittu promised that their demands would be addressed.