Gadkari urges Punjab CM to take action on threats to NHAI contractors

Raising concerns over threats and incidents of violence with NHAI staff and contractors in Punjab, Union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari has written a letter to Punjab chief minister (CM) Bhagwant Mann demanding stern action against the perpetrators.
Seeking the CM’s personal attention, Gadkari cautioned the Punjab government that NHAI will have no other option but to cancel/terminate eight other severely affected projects spanning 293 km and costing ₹14,288 crore if the situation does not improve.
“These are mainly Greenfield corridors and cancelling even one package will render the entire corridor useless,” the Union minister wrote in a letter addressed to Mann dated August 9.
“NHAI is developing Greenfield and Brownfield National Highway corridors including Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway in the state of Punjab. I want to highlight serious safety concerns for NHAI officers, contractors and their staff as well as issues related to pending land acquisition matters,” it added.
The minister said that he had been informed about two incidents which occurred recently on the Delhi-Katra Expressway projects, adding, “In one incident in Jalandhar District, the Engineer of the Contractor was brutally assaulted (photographs enclosed). Although an FIR has been registered in this regard, strong action is required to be taken against the perpetrators,”
Gardkari also cited another incident in Ludhiana district, where the project camp of the contractor of Delhi-Katra Expressway was attacked by miscreants and also threatened engineers of burning the project camp and their staff alive.
“However, FIR has still not been filed and the miscreants have not been arrested despite written request by NHAI officers. I request that the state government immediately take corrective measures, file FIRs and take strong action against the perpetrators in order to prevent such incidents in future and to restore the confidence of NHAI officers and staff of the concessionaires,” the letter reads.
Gadkari said he had on July 15 reviewed progress of the National Highway projects in Punjab with the public works minister and officers concerned of MoRTH, NHAI and the state government.
“During the meeting, it was assured that pending issues related to land acquisition and law and order would be resolved on priority. However, it has been brought to my notice that no progress has been made in this regard and the situation has further worsened,” the Union minister said.
He said due to pending issues related to land acquisition and the prevailing law and order conditions, a number of contractors/concessionaires have requested to foreclose contracts and have raised claims against NHAI.
“NHAI has already terminated three projects in Punjab with a total length 104 km and costing ₹23,263 crore. If the situation does not improve, NHAI will have no other option but to cancel/terminate eight other severely affected projects with a total length of 293 km costing ₹14,288 crore,” he said.
“In view of the above, I earnestly request your personal intervention in these matters which would go a long way in resolving the pending issues in NH projects thereby expediting development of NH infrastructure in Punjab,” Gadkari said.