Indian Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has written a stern letter to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, warning that eight major highway projects worth around Rs 14,288 crore will be cancelled if law and order in the state does not improve.
The letter follows reports of violence and intimidation against National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) workers involved in the ongoing construction of the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway.
Gadkari referred to incidents of alleged attacks on engineers and contractors in Jalandhar and threats against them in Ludhiana to harm project personnel and facilities.
“In an incident in Jalandhar district, the contractor’s engineer was brutally attacked. Though a complaint has been filed in this regard, decisive action must be taken against the culprits,” Gadkari wrote.
“In another incident in Ludhiana district, the project camp of the contractor of Delhi-Katra Expressway was attacked by miscreants who also threatened the engineers that they would burn the project camp and their employees alive. However, still no FIR has been filed and the miscreants have not been arrested despite written notices from NHAI officials.”
The Union Minister called on the state government to take immediate remedial measures, file a complaint and take vigorous action against the perpetrators to prevent such incidents in the future.
Gadkari also expressed disappointment that despite assurances given by stakeholders during a review meeting on July 15, no progress has been made in land acquisition for key projects and the law and order situation has continued to deteriorate.
He noted that several concessionaires had tried to terminate their contracts and made claims against the NHAI due to unresolved issues related to land acquisition and deteriorating law and order.
Punjab Minister Aman Arora then denied Gadkari’s allegations and said that law and order in Punjab was “absolutely fine”.
“The central government must explain on what basis it claims that public order is not good,” Arora said.
Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Cheema also reacted sharply. “The BJP hates Punjab because Punjab farmers played a crucial role in the farmers’ unrest. Mr. Nitin Gadkari should not make such allegations,” he said.
