CHANDIGARH, February 23, 2009: Continuing with his drive for speedy development, and mitigating the plight of the common people, Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker Mr. Charanjit Singh Atwal has got more than a dozen bridge and other railway projects on the fast track in Ludhiana, Moga, Fatehgarh Sahib, Muktsar and Bathinda districts.
In a meeting of top officials of the Railways, Punjab Government, District Administrations and municipal bodies, held in his chamber at the Parliament House in New Delhi recently, Mr Atwal, who represents the Phillaur (Reserved) Lok Sabha Constituency, got the hurdles coming in the way of execution of many of these long pending projects removed and got deadlines set for either their approval or speedy execution.
Among the projects heading for approval is the much demanded Rail Under Bridge near Dera Sahib of Ajit Singh Ji at Hunsaali in Fatehgarh Sahib district. The Railway officials informed the Deputy Speaker that the 3.5 metres high Under Bridge will decongest the traffic going to the dera while simultaneously keeping the manned level crossing open. Railway Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav has already assured Mr. Atwal of according approval to the project soon.
Another long pending demand of the people of a Rail Under Bridge at the highly congested Shastri Nagar, Model Town, Ludhiana, is being met with the foundation stone of the bridge likely to be laid in the first week of March. Sanction for construction of the bridge found a mention in this year’s Mini Rail Budget speech.
The meeting was informed that construction of the Y-shaped Rail Over Bridge at Lakar wala Kachehriya, Ludhiana, the estimates for which have been pruned down to Rs. 22 crore by the Railways, is also going to start soon. The Ludhiana Municipal Corporation would be depositing Rs. 8 crore in a week’s time for the first phase of the project following which the Railways will immediately take up the tendering process.
Regarding the Rail Under Bridge at Mandi Gobind Garh, the Railways finally agreed to initiate the tendering process within 15 days following strong persuasion by Mr. Atwal on the issue of escalation / correction of costs.
The Railways also agreed to take up for approval soon a Rail Over Bridge at Mandi Gobind Garh, proposal for which was moved jointly by the state PWD Department and the Mandi Gobind Garh municipal authorities.
The Deputy Speaker intervened to get the legal hurdles in the way of construction of the Rail Over Bridge at Lalheri Road, Khanna, removed. Railways have agreed to go ahead with the bridge.
Among the other issues resolved were cleaning and drainage of water from the Railway culverts at Satlani, Khanna, construction of Moga Ghall Kalan Railway level crossing, crossing of water supply lines on Bathinda-Delhi rail lines and widening and raising of siphon at village Pakki Tibbi, Malout in Muktsar district.
The meeting was informed that work on construction of Railway Over Bridges on Bathinda-Mansa Road and near railway station Bhatinda are likely to be awarded during March. The Railways agreed a plea from the Deputy Commissioner of Muktsar to carry out feasibility studies to construction a Rail Under Bridge instead of an Over Bridge at Malout.
The Secretary PWD Punjab informed the Deputy Speaker that proposals alongwith feasibility studies for the ROBs crossing Bathinda and the one at Jalalabad rail crossing in Muktsar have been sent to the Railways and the top officials of the Rail Board for further examination and giving the Government of Punjab a go ahead for construction of these two ROBs.
Besides top officials of the Railways, among the top Punjab Government officials who participated in the meeting were the Secretary PWD, Deputy Commissioners of Moga and Fatehgarh Sahib, Additional Deputy Commissioners of Ludhiana and Muktsar, President of the Municipal Committee Khanna.
Earlier too, Mr Atwal, who has already been nominated by the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) to contest the coming Lok Sabha elections from the newly constituted reserved Lok Sabha constituency of Fatehgarh Sahib, is known to have organized series of meetings with multi agencies like Railways, PWD, National Highways, Forests, Drainage, PSEB and all local and relevant departments, to get several projects either approved on expedited. Among them are the Satnampura bridge at Phagwara and T-Junction at Nawanshahr-Phagwara Bye Pass. He was also instrumental in making the Rahon and Dhilwan bridges a reality.
By bringing all the executing and related agencies together, Mr. Atwal gives a chance to all of them to take firm decisions so that none of the agencies further obstruct the successful completion of projects under consideration.