* Stalled flyover works at Makhu, Adampur and Bhawanigarh will be completed soon, Amritsar Sahib flyover project will also be speeded up: CM Bhagwant Singh Mann*
*Also raised the issue of declaring Ferozepur-Fazilka road as a national highway and widening it: Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann*
*Centre assured to four lane Bhawanigarh to Kotshmir road via Sunam, Cheema Mandi, Bhikhi, Mansa and Maur: Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann*
*Barnala-Pakho Kanchian to Bhadaur, Sehana and Jalal to Bajakhana road and Malerkotla to Barnala to Sherpur road will also be made four-lane: Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann*
* Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari highly appreciated the ‘Road Safety Force’ created to protect lives and property of the people: Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann*
*Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann meeting with Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari*
New Delhi, 13 May 2026:
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann today after an important meeting with Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari assured the Center to complete the long-pending highway and flyover projects in Punjab, which will speed up the stalled infrastructure works at Makhu, Adampur and Bhawanigarh and is likely to lead to major road expansion and dual carriageway across the state.
During the meeting, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann also raised Punjab’s demand to declare strategically important roads, including the Ferozepur-Fazilka corridor near the international border, as national highways. He insisted on speedy implementation of projects stalled for years due to delays and hurdles. The Chief Minister said that the Center has also assured four-lane Bhawanigarh-Kotshmir road through Sunam, Cheema Mandi, Bhikhi, Mansa and Maur. Apart from this, Barnala-Bajakhana and Malerkotla-Barnala corridors have also been expanded, which is being considered as an important step for road connectivity, economic transport and public safety of Punjab.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann further said that the Union Minister Nitin Gadkari highly appreciated the work of the ‘Road Safety Force’ launched by the Punjab Government to protect lives and ensure safe highways across the state.
The Chief Minister held a meeting with Mr. Nitin Gadkari today and demanded to speed up the work of Valhalla flyover in Amritsar in the larger public interest. He said that this project NHAI. which was to be completed by September 15, 2023. He said that despite repeated extension of its completion period, the work is still incomplete and its completion date was extended to April 30, 2026 but so far 76 percent work has been completed.
The Chief Minister said that this corridor is of great importance as it connects Amritsar Airport and Sri Harimandir Sahib and also handles heavy traffic including constant movement of VIPs. He said that the continuous delay in this project increases the congestion and the people face difficulties in terms of security.
Bhagwant Singh Mann said that it is the need of the hour that NHAI. should immediately take appropriate steps to complete the remaining work of Valhalla flyover at the earliest so that the project can be completed within the stipulated time.
Raising another important issue of four-lane NH-70 Jalandhar-Hoshiarpur-Manali road, the Chief Minister said that Jalandhar-Hoshiarpur road is very important from religious, tourism, economic and strategic point of view. He said that this road connects the famous religious places and tourist places in Himachal Pradesh including Mata Chintapurni Ji Temple, Mata Jawala Ji Temple, Mata Chamunda Devi Ji Temple, Dharamshala, Manali and Palampur with various districts of Punjab.
Bhagwant Singh Mann said that due to the Adampur Airport adjacent to this road, it is very important from the strategic point of view as this airport is being used for the visits of VVIPs in the Doaba region and this region.
The Chief Minister said that the project of four-lane Jalandhar-Hoshiarpur road was approved in the year 2016 after which the contractor canceled it. He told the Union Minister that the State Government has submitted the Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the remaining work of this project to the Ministry. He said that this project is very important for Punjab. Bhagwant Singh Mann appealed to the Union Minister to speed up the approval of the Ministry so that the work of this project can be started.
Demanding that the Chandigarh-Laundran-Chunni-Sarhind road be declared a national highway, the Chief Minister said that this road is an important road of the state connecting SAS Nagar district with Fatehgarh Sahib district, which has more historical significance. “The road starts from near Gurdwara Singh Shaheedan Sahib in Sohana and ends at Fatehgarh Sahib passing through Lakhnore, Launderan, Jhanjheri and Chunni. At present it is mainly two-lane with 10-metre carriageway width, although some parts have already been made four-lane.
He added that “Ambala-Chandigarh greenfield highway project under Bharatmala project also crosses this road at village Jhanjheri.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “Every year during the month of December, lakhs of pilgrims visit Fatehgarh Sahib during the Shaheedee Sabha to pay homage to Sahibzada Baba Zorawar Singh Ji and Sahibzada Baba Fateh Singh Ji. During this period, there is heavy traffic on this 37.26 km long road. Considering the strategic and historical importance of this road, it is necessary to declare it as a national highway.”
Referring to another agenda, the Chief Minister urged Nitin Gadkari to declare the Dharamkot-Zira-Firozepur-Fazilka road as a national highway. He said that this road connects with national highways in the state and this road is also close to the international border with Pakistan. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that this intersection is very important in terms of defense and security. He said that the army authority located at Ferozepur is also continuously pushing to widen this road and make it a four-lane road so that speedy and safe movement of army vehicles can be ensured.
The Chief Minister told Nitin Gadkari that the total length of the road is 144.555 km and the average number of deaths in accidents on this road is higher than that of national highways. He said that there are 11 black spots identified in this corridor and the Ferozepur-Fazilka section witnessed 162 accidents during 2020 to 2022, out of which 138 accidents were fatal, indicating an urgent need to increase its capacity and improve safety.
Bhagwant Singh Mann told the Union Minister Dharamkot-Zira-Firozpur-Fazi
The Chief Minister sought to declare the ‘Balachore-Hoshiarpur-Dasuha’ road as a national highway in the state, saying that its total length is 104.96 km and it connects the Phagwara-Rupnagar National Highway with the Pathankot-Jalandhar National Highway and serves as an important link between Chandigarh/Mohali and Pathankot/Jammu & Kashmir.
He said that due to its strategic connectivity and regional importance, passenger and transport vehicles and commercial traffic are frequent on this road. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that most of this road is without dividers, resulting in heavy traffic at many places, frequent accidents and considerable delay for commuters, due to which it should be declared a national highway.
Raising another issue, the Chief Minister stressed the need for a view cutter (safety barrier) on the flyover at Husnar Chowk, Giddarbaha on the Bathinda-Malot road, which falls under the jurisdiction of the NHAI. He said that there are densely populated residential and commercial establishments on both sides of the flyover, due to which it is necessary to install a view cutter at Husnar Chowk, Giddarbaha. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that along with the convenience of the people, safety of passers-by and smooth and trouble-free movement of traffic is the main need of the hour.
The Chief Minister also demanded that the 53.76 km long Bhawanigarh-Sunam-Bhikhi-Kotshmir road be four-lane and declared a national highway in view of its strategic importance. He said that this road connects Patiala and Sangrur districts with Bathinda, Mansa, Talwandi Sabo, Sirsa and Punjab as well as other important places adjoining Haryana. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the daily traffic on this road is substantial and it acts as an important link for the movement of both passengers and goods.
The Chief Minister said that the Patiala-Bhavanigarh section of National Highway-7 has already been developed as a four-lane highway, ensuring smooth and high-capacity connectivity to Bhawanigarh. Bhawanigarh-Sunam-Bhikhi-Kotshmir road becomes two-lane till Kotshmir.
He said that this sudden change from a four-lane national highway to a two-lane highway not only creates serious obstacles for traffic but also increases the risk of accidents due to increased congestion.
Adequate Right of Way (ROW) along with sufficient length of the road is already available and parts including Sunam, Cheema and Bhikhi have already been widened to four-lane, he said. Demanding that this road be made four-lane and declared a national highway, Bhagwant Singh Mann said that it will not only ensure uniform corridor capacity, smooth traffic, reduce congestion but also enhance road safety and support regional economic development.
The Chief Minister also appealed to Nitin Gadkari to declare the Banga-Garhshankar-Sri Anandpur Sahib road as a national highway. He said that this road connects major religious places including Sri Anandpur Sahib and Sri Kiratpur Sahib and further connects Himachal Pradesh for economic, tourism and religious purposes. Domestic and foreign tourists regularly visit these religious places and travel to Mata Naina Devi Temple in Himachal Pradesh due to which this road should be given National Highway status.
Raising another important issue, the Chief Minister also demanded to declare the Barnala-Bajakhana road as a national highway. He said that this road is important for facilitating transportation for Barnala, Mansa and Bathinda districts which provide connectivity to major commercial, agricultural and industrial centers of Malwa region and adjoining Rajasthan. The existing two-lane road is inadequate to meet the current and future traffic requirements, due to which it is imperative to declare it a national highway and make it four-lane.
The Chief Minister demanded that the Barnala-Malerkotla via Sherpur road be four-lane and declared a national highway. He added, “This road facilitates transportation to Barnala, Sangrur and Malerkotla districts and also connects major agricultural, industrial and commercial centers of Malwa region. The project will significantly improve connectivity between Barnala, Sangrur and Malerkotla and reduce congestion, time, vehicle operation costs and accident risks.”
Taking up another issue, the Chief Minister also advocated the construction of an elevated corridor/flyover in Bhawanigarh due to heavy traffic and congestion issues. He said that Bhawanigarh is a densely populated city with all the commercial establishments and shops on both sides of the national highway and due to the flyovers on both sides of the city, the traffic enters it at high speed, which leads to accidents.
Bhagwant Singh Mann said that he has NHAI. requested to examine and initiate construction of an elevated corridor/flyover through Bhawanigarh city in the interest of public safety, decongestion and smooth traffic.
Meanwhile, referring to another important issue, the Chief Minister also appealed to Nitin Gadkari to release the outstanding payment under the Setu Bandhan program of the Central Road and Infrastructure Fund (CRIF) scheme. He said that the state government has already started the works and now funds are needed to meet the outstanding liabilities/contractor payments for the ongoing works. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that due to the non-release of funds by the Ministry, the progress of various construction works is being affected due to which immediate release of funds is the need of the hour.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann also demanded the early completion of the railway over bridge at Makhu town on NH-54.
Informing about the meeting on his X handle, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “Today in Delhi I met the Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari ji. During the meeting, we discussed in detail several important projects related to NHAI and issues related to Punjab. In particular, the ‘Road Safety Force (SSF)’ was discussed. Gadkari ji said that our government has safeguarded the lives and property of the people. This unique initiative is highly appreciated.”