4-laning of Karnal-Kaithal road crawls at snail’s pace

Parveen Arora
Tribune News Service
Karnal, December 6

Potholes, stones, heaps of mud, construction material and incomplete bridges on the Karnal-Kaithal state highway-8 have been a common sight for the past eight months.

The four-laning of the road had started in March, but the slow pace of work has harried commuters. A construction company hired to widen the road has dug it up at several places, disrupting the movement of vehicles. The dug-up road, residents say, is an open invitation to accidents, more so because days ahead will be foggy.

The Public Works Department (B&R) had allotted a tender for the project at the start of the year. Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had, on February 28 (before the Lok Sabha elections), laid the foundation stone of the 49-km stretch. The work had started the next month.

Sources in the PWD (B&R) say only 25 per cent of work has been completed.

The estimated cost of widening the stretch from Chirao Mod in Karnal district to Kaithal is Rs180 crore. The work is to be completed in two years. The road width will be increased to 15 m from the existing 7 m. Besides, there will be a provision of two-metre central verge.

Residents allege the company started the work in patches. Amit Kumar, a resident of Nissing, said: “The state government must ensure that the road is constructed in a fixed timeframe. I avoid travelling on the Karnal-Kaithal road and instead take the Kachwa road to go to Karnal.”

When contacted, Executive Engineer (PWD) Dalel Singh Dahiya refused to accept that the pace of work was slow. “Around 35 per cent of the work has been completed. I am hopeful the road will be constructed in 18 months. The company has been instructed to complete it before the deadline,” he added. He, however, admitted there were issues related to shifting of electric poles and axing of trees.