Union Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu on Wednesday laid the foundation stone for two railway overbridges (ROBs) in Jalandhar, with a combined cost of Rs 112 crore. The projects aim to decongest two major railway crossings in the city.
Guru Nanakpura ROB to cost Rs 49 crore
The first ROB, to be built at the Guru Nanakpura crossing, is estimated at Rs 49 crore. This crossing is a busy railway intersection on the Amritsar-Jalandhar-Delhi line. The 346.8-metre-long structure will be supported by 20 pillars and will connect Chugitti on the Jalandhar-Amritsar highway with Ladowali Road. The ramp towards Ladowali Road will be 235 metres long, while the one towards Chugitti will be shorter. The project has an estimated completion deadline of 18 months.
Before construction begins, the local administration, through the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), must make alterations to the PAP flyover by adding an extra ramp. This is intended to save Jalandhar commuters from having to travel to Rama Mandi for detours.
110 trains pass through Guru Nanakpura daily
According to officials, as many as 110 trains pass through the Guru Nanakpura crossing every day. Sometimes two or three trains pass in quick succession, forcing commuters to wait 20-30 minutes. The alternative is a longer detour via PAP Chowk-Rama Mandi-PAP flyover.
Garha ROB to cost Rs 63 crore
The second ROB, over the Garha Road crossing, is estimated at Rs 63 crore. This crossing remains closed up to eight times a day. The ROB is expected to be completed within 18 months and will benefit residents of Defence Colony, Chhoti Baradari, Hardyal Nagar, and Golden Avenue.
Political reactions
Reacting to the development, District Congress Committee chief and former MLA Rajinder Beri said the Guru Nanakpura ROB was approved during the previous Congress government in Punjab. “After that, the COVID-19 pandemic created major hurdles. Later, in 2022, the government in Punjab changed. Following that, no one pursued this project. Now, with the Assembly elections approaching, the inauguration has been timed to claim credit,” he said.
On a separate row over a forensic report concerning a video allegedly linked to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Bittu said “there was no doubt that a fake report was prepared by the Gurugram lab at the behest of the CM”. Bittu alleged that it was condemnable as a CM was “getting fake work done by the police”, which is supposed to protect people.
Senior BJP leader collapses at event
Senior BJP leader Manoranjan Kalia collapsed due to hot and humid weather at Bittu’s event in Guru Nanakpura. Bittu cut short his engagements and later visited Kalia in the hospital. Other BJP leaders present included KD Bhandari, Rakesh Rathour, Sheetal Angural, Sarabjit Makkar, Avinash Chander, Ashok Sareen Hikki, Karamjit Kaur, Jeevan Gupta, Raman Pabbi, Jagbir Brar, Subhash Sood, and Shelly Khanna.
