The Delhi-Katra Expressway is expected to improve North India

The Delhi-Katra Expressway is expected to improve North India
The Delhi-Katra Expressway is expected to improve North India

Story by Raksha Bhattacharjee

LUDHIANA

A recent report from NHAI suggests that out of two segments of the expressway in the district, one is likely to be finished before the end of September while the second is expected to be ready by March of next year.

Nigam stated that as the Delhi-Katra Expressway will help shorten the overall distance between Ludhiana and the other North Indian cities like Delhi and Jammu, this is exactly as per schedule. On a different note, an NHAI officer claims that construction on the road that leads from Delhi to close to Bogiwal before entering the Ludhiana district has a deadline of the end of June.

NHAI Report

As per the latest NHAI report on the progress of construction of package eight, which stretches over a total of 35.09 kilometres with 22 kilometres falling in the Ludhiana district and the 13 kilometre balance in Malerkotla district, there has been 31.08 percent physical progress and 27.12 percent financial progress. This stretch of road runs from Chappar to just before Mullanpur.

The status report indicates that Package Eight is expected to be completed by 31 March 2026. It also notes that of the 43.04 kilometers road slated for construction in Package Nine, approximately 16 kilometers fall within Ludhiana district, while the rest is located in Jalandhar district.


According to the most recent report, 52.97% of the financial progress and 57.82% of the physical work on Package Nine have been completed. It is anticipated that the road section will be finished by March 31, 2026. Since they have entire control of the land from farmers for the construction of the highway in the Ludhiana area, the packages should be finished by the deadlines, according to an NHAI officer who asked not to be named.

He proposed that, notwithstanding some initial setbacks brought on by disputes over land compensation with farmers, the procedure for beginning construction work has begun and will likely pick up speed in the near future.

Expressway From Delhi to the broader of Ludhiana

The government has set a goal to finish the expressway from Delhi to the border of Ludhiana district in Malerkotla district by the end of June, the officer added. In order to obtain 1.22 kilometers of land for the project in Sangrur, which is divided into three small pockets, and 2.54 kilometers of land for the road in Malerkotla, which is divided into 17 pockets, he continued, they will require the assistance of the civil administration.


Even though the completion deadline for Package Eight was set for March 13 of this year, according to NHAI sources, things were delayed because the landowners wanted compensation of about Rs 80 lakhs per acre, rather than the Rs 50–55 lakhs that were granted to them. Residents are waiting for the Delhi-Katra Expressway’s construction to be finished in the interim.

According to Sanjay Sharma, a businessman from the Dugri region, the completion of the Delhi-Katra Expressway will enable people to travel more quickly. Currently, traveling to Delhi and other North Indian towns takes a long time. In order to conduct business in the morning and return in the evening, he noted, they can travel to Delhi in less time.

Travelling to Vaishno Devi

Traveling to the Vaishno Devi shrine in Katra to pay homage will become simpler and quicker, according to Raj Kumar, another local. The Ludhiana area is home to about 38 kilometers of the approximately 399 kilometers of road being built in Punjab as part of the Delhi-Katra Expressway project, according to NHAI officials. They went on to say that the entire road project in Ludhiana is spread across 24 villages in the district.


Three villages are in Jagraon Tehsil, two are in Ludhiana East, and 19 are in Ludhiana West, out of the 24 villages that are part of the project. The project begins in Chhapar village in the Ludhiana district and ends close to Gumnewal village. Even though survey work in the district began in 2020, Ludhiana road construction really started in 2022, according to NHAI officials.

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