National-Highway-44 widening stuck for seven months in Panipat

Mukesh Tandon

Tribune News Service

Panipat, June 25

The widening work of the National-Highway-44 from the Singhu border to Rai, a 10-km stretch out of a total of 70.5-km-long highway from Mukarba Chowk in Delhi to Panipat, has been halted for the past seven months due to the farmers’ protest.

The Central government had inaugurated the project, worth Rs 2128.72 crore, of 12-lane widening of the NH-44 and the work was allotted to Essel Infra Projects Limited in 2015 during the first regime of the BJP-led government.

The company had, however, failed to complete the project.

After a period of one-and-a-half-years, the NHAI cancelled the tender of Essel Infra Projects and re-allotted the work to a new company, Well Spun, last year. The NHAI had fixed the target to complete the work by September 2021.

Meanwhile, the protesting farmers pitched tents and parked trolleys on both sides of the NH-44 on November 26 last year due to which the company had to stop the work on the stretch.

Even, the service road sides were dug up and sewage and muddy water had been filled on these service lanes.

Anand Dahiya, manager, technical, NHAI, said no work was carried out in the 10-km stretch, which is around 14% work of the total project, for the past seven months due to the protest.

The work is in full swing from Rai to Panipat except on a 10- km stretch occupied by farmers, he said.