Bittu raises issue regarding delay in 6 lanning of Panipat-Jalandhar(NH-1), in Lok Sabha
Author(s): City Air NewsLudhiana, July 25, 2014: Congress MP from Ludhiana Ravneet Singh Bittu has raised the issue regarding delay in the 6 lanning of the Panipat-Jalandhar(NH-1), in Lok Sabha under Rule-377. He said, “The Panipat-Jalandhar...
cityairnews
Jul 25, 2014 12:30
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Ludhiana, July 25, 2014: Congress MP from Ludhiana Ravneet Singh Bittu has raised the issue regarding delay in the 6 lanning of the Panipat-Jalandhar(NH-1), in Lok Sabha under Rule-377.
He said, “The Panipat-Jalandhar National Highway (NH-1) project is running 33 months behind schedule. The six-laning project from Panipat to Jalandhar commenced on May 11, 2009 and it was scheduled for completion in 30 months, ending November 11, 2011 at total project cost of Rs 2747.55 crore. Since then it has missed five deadlines and the last being March 31, 2013. In the meantime, the project cost has escalated, the expenditure on the project was Rs 3,280 crore by end of October, 2012 and about 30 per cent work was still to be completed.
The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) had planned to finish 25 per cent of the work by May 2010, 65 per cent by May 2011 and the entire project by November 2011, but only 80 per cent work was completed by end of March 2014 with most of the flyovers and underpasses still under construction.
There are four toll plazas on the stretch at Panipat, Karnal, Shambu, near bridge over River Satluj, at Ludhiana. The Karnal toll plaza alone is earning an average revenue of Rs 35 to Rs 37 lakh per day. The total revenue earned from the toll plaza from 2002 to 2011-12 is about Rs 753 crore and it is consistently increasing due to an increase in the number of vehicles. The revenue which was a meagre Rs 38.92 crore in 2002-03 jumped to Rs 134.55 crore in 2011-12.
Since, the concessionaires have failed to complete the project within stipulated time, they should not be allowed to make huge profits at the cost of the common people. I, therefore, request the Government to intervene and direct the NHAI to expedite the completion of Panipat-Jalandhar National Highway No.1, in public interest and also henceforth advise the concessionaires to stop collecting toll tax from general public till the completion of the entire stretch of the road.”
