The letter further adds that in another incident PD Ludhiana (Expressway) wrote a letter to DC Ludhiana about threats to the contractor Dinesh Bambhaniya and project manager. “The miscreants have threatened that they would burn the project camp and their staff alive. FIR is yet to be lodged,” reads the letter.The letter added, “It is submitted that necessary police protection is immediately required to be provided to the contractors to avoid any mishap and untoward incident. It is also requested to direct the concerned officers for the same and also direct the police and district administration to lodge FIRs against the guilty miscreants and take action as per law. It is highlighted that contractors in the Punjab have not been feeling safe due to these repeated incidents and the contractors may leave the NH projects unfinished due to continuing law and order problems in the state.”The ambitious greenfield expressway project aims to significantly reduce travel time between Delhi and Katra, promoting regional connectivity and economic growth. However, the project has met with substantial resistance from farmers, particularly regarding land acquisition and compensation. Over the past few months, farmer protests have intensified, with many expressing dissatisfaction over the terms of compensation and the process of land acquisition. While security measures are being considered, there are also calls for renewed dialogue between the government and the protesting farmers. Stakeholders believe that transparent communication and fair compensation could help mitigate the ongoing tensions and pave the way for smoother implementation of the project.The NHAI is developing 1,500-km-long national highways at a cost of Rs 52,000 crore in Punjab.Meanwhile, in a related query, the termination of three national highway projects in Punjab echoed in Parliament recently, with Rajya Sabha MP Vikramjit Singh Sahney raising the issue. Responding to his unstarred question whether the NHAI had, indeed, scrapped projects costing Rs 3,303 crore over land acquisition hurdles, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari confirmed that the projects had been terminated in Punjab due to non-availability of the requisite land. Gadkari informed the upper house that the ministry had requested the Punjab government to take necessary steps to hand over the possession of the land required for the projects.
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