Start construction of Delhi-Katra highway on fast-track: Punjab CM
Darpan News Desk IANS, 18 Jul, 2022 04:41 PM
Chandigarh, July 18 (IANS) Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday issued a directive for starting the construction of the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra National Highway on a fast-track mode.
Chairing a review meeting of the Public Works Department (PWD) here, the Chief Minister asked the officials to accord top priority to all approved and sanctioned works for their timely completion.
He issued directions to ensure the department strictly adheres to the prescribed specifications for ensuring quality construction, maintenance and repair of the upcoming projects.
He said Delhi-Amritsar-Katra National Highway is an ambitious project, which once completed will save time, money and energy of commuters travelling from Delhi to Jammu and Kashmir via Punjab. It will be beneficial for those desirous of paying obeisance at Mata Vaishno Devi shrine.
Mann said the 254-km long Delhi-Katra highway will be constructed at a cost Rs 11,510 crore and will pass through nine districts of the state -- Jalandhar, Sangrur, Malerkotla, Patiala, Kapurthala, Ludhiana, Amritsar, Tarn Taran and Gurdaspur.
The Chief Minister also asked the department to complete the work on construction of Aam Aadmi Clinics as per the fixed deadline of August 15. Mann envisioned that the clinics will act as catalyst for providing quality healthcare services to people.
He asked the department to speed up the process for starting work on the construction of the Sant Attar Singh State Institute of Medical Sciences in Sangrur coming up at an outlay of Rs 350 crore.
Reviewing other projects, the Chief Minister also directed the officers to complete the ongoing projects of Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Law University in Kairon in Tarn Taran district, Sri Guru Ravidass Memorial Khuralgarh in Garhshankar in Hoshiarpur district, Maharaja Bhupinder Singh Sports University in Patiala, Sri Guru Gobind Singh ji Skill Institute in Sri Chamkaur Sahib and the Centre of Interfaith Studies in Guru Nanak Dev University in Amritsar.
On December 27, 1988, the cricketer-turned-politician and one of his friends, Rupinder Singh Sandhu, had on December 27, 1988, hit Gurnam Singh, 65, on his head near the Sheranwala Gate crossing in Patiala.
Chairing a high-level meeting here, Mann said his government would be fulfilling one of the major poll promises with setting up of these clinics both in urban and rural areas in a phased manner on the pattern of Delhi.
The commission asked the Divisional Commissioner (Ferozepur division), the Deputy Commissioner of Sri Muktsar Sahib), the Inspector General of Police (Faridkot range) and the Senior Superintendent of Police to investigate the case and to submit the report within seven days.
Former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Thursday congratulated former Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar for joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), saying that the "right man is in the right party". He said more leaders are likely to desert the sinking ship of the Congress in the coming days.
The Chief Minister also sought a compensation of Rs 500 per quintal for low yield of wheat in the state. He said due to intense heat during this summer season, the wheat grains in Punjab have been damaged, adding it is the high time that farmers must be compensated for this damage by giving compensation.
The top court noted it was urged that simply because it was a spontaneous incident where no weapon was used, but held that this cannot be a ground to inflict minimal and innocuous punishment of fine of Rs 1,000.
