- विज्ञापन -
Ludhiana:
Union Minister of State for Railways and Food Processing Industries, Ravneet Singh Bittu has issued stern warning of launching a public agitation while accusing the state government of deliberately not issuing no-objection certificate (NOC) for the Sahnewal-Doraha Railway over Bridge (ROB).
Bittu, on Saturday, visited the site and while addressing the media he accused the Punjab Government of deliberately delaying the crucial project, which has been left in limbo despite being fully funded by the Railways. “If NOC is not issued soon, I will initiate public agitation,” he stated.
“The sanctioned cost of the project in 2024 was Rs. 70.56 crore, with 100% of the expenditure to be borne by the Railways. However, the Punjab Government has yet to grant the necessary approvals, causing immense hardship to daily commuters,” mentioned Bittu.
The Minister highlighted that around 190 trains and over 3,000 vehicles cross the level crossing daily, leading to severe congestion and inconvenience for commuters. “The Chief Minister himself recently remarked that I, as the Minister of Railways, should be inaugurating bridges. Now, when I am actively pushing for this ROB, which is to be built entirely with railway funds, the Punjab Government and certain officials are obstructing the process by withholding the NOC,” he alleged.
According to Singh, officials of the Punjab PWD are deliberately stalling the project by refusing to sign the required drawings, even though the Railways has assured them in writing that the maintenance and upkeep of service roads will be handled by the Railways after construction.
Singh provided a detailed background of the ROB, emphasizing that Level Crossing No. 164A is located between Doraha and Sahnewal stations on the Ambala-Ludhiana section under Northern Railway’s Ambala Division. In the July 2022 census, the Train Vehicular Unit (TVU) for this crossing was approximately 6 lakhs, justifying the need for an ROB.
Initially, PWD Punjab was executing the project based on the approved General Administrative Drawing (GAD) dated July 18, 2014. However, PWD terminated the contract on August 5, 2021. Recognizing the persistent traffic load and public need, the Railway Board sanctioned the ROB on a 100% railway-funded model, amounting to Rs. 70.56 crore, via a letter dated February 29, 2024.
To ensure smooth execution and prevent contractual disputes, the Railways repeatedly reached out to Punjab PWD for an NOC and essential project documents such as GAD, AutoCAD drawings, topographical surveys, and geotechnical reports. In response, PWD issued an NOC on November 11, 2024, but with certain terms and conditions deemed unacceptable by Northern Railway.
To resolve these issues, a meeting was held on January 27, 2025, at Punjab Secretariat in Chandigarh, where senior officials from Northern Railway and PWD Punjab discussed the matter. It was agreed that the Punjab Government would review the legal aspects of the conditional NOC. A follow-up letter was sent to the Chief Engineer of PWD Punjab on January 29, 2025, reiterating the need for a clear, unconditional NOC for the project to proceed.
“As despite these efforts, no significant progress has been made, prompting me to declare that I will not hesitate to mobilize a mass agitation if the Punjab Government continues to stall the ROB’s approval,” said Bittu.
