Highway projects worth Rs 5.5 cr in Punjab lagging behind schedule

The national highway projects in Punjab are running behind schedule. There are overall 33 national projects under ongoing construction, 580.49 lengths, and costing Rs 5,573.56 crore. The state Public works department (PWD) is the nodal company of the 29 projects, and the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) is implementing other four projects. Costing Rs 463 crore, work for the eight projects has been granted, but it has not started yet. Punjab is one of the states which had the worst impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Following strict restrictions, lockdowns, and curfews throughout the first and second waves of the pandemic. Currently, Punjab has 71,912 km of the road network, out of which 1,097 km is classified as state highways, and 2,677 km is identified as the national highways. The worst-hit projects consist of the 77 km range from the Moga-Tallewal section of NH-71, worth Rs 904.82 crore and the 49 km long Jalandhar-Hoshiarpur section NH-70, including an approved cost of Rs 1,069.59 crore. Each of these projects would be missing the revised deadline of August 2021 and June 2022. The other significant projects running late include four-lane of Bathinda to Malout, NH-354 section from Ferozepur-Muktsar-Malout up-gradation to two-lane, four-lane of Talwandi Bhai to Ferozepur, and correcting black spots on various roads. According to the predictions, the third wave, which is projected to hit by August this year, would further delay the completion of these projects. Following the strict limitations of daily movement. As per the plan formed to tackle the third wave, if the positivity rate reaches the 5% limit advised by the World Health Organisation (WHO), then the state has to undergo strict lockdown restraints. Image Source Also read: NHAI develops 4,788 km highways in FY21 at Rs 1.7 lakh cr