Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has issued a stern warning to the Punjab government, threatening to cancel several highway projects if recent attacks on National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) staff are not addressed. In a letter to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Gadkari expressed deep concern over the safety of engineers and contractors working on major infrastructure projects in the state.
Gadkari detailed two violent incidents that occurred recently on the Delhi-Katra Expressway projects. In Jalandhar, an engineer was brutally assaulted by miscreants, while in Ludhiana, a contractor’s project camp was attacked. The attackers also threatened to burn down the camp and harm the staff. These incidents have heightened concerns about the safety of NHAI personnel and the progress of crucial highway projects.
The Union Minister has urged the Punjab government to take immediate corrective actions, including registering FIRs and ensuring strict legal action against the perpetrators. Gadkari emphasized that without these measures, NHAI will be forced to cancel eight other severely impacted projects, totaling 293 kilometers in length and costing ₹14,288 crore.
The Punjab Police, represented by Inspector General of Police (IGP) Sukhchain Singh Gill, has assured that the situation is under control. An SIT has been formed to investigate the attacks, and FIRs have already been registered. Gill stated, “It is under CM review. We have constituted an SIT on it and FIR has been registered. The law and order situation is under control. There were two such incidents and we will look for security if needed by NHAI.”
Sources By Agencies