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Chandigarh: The chances of completion of a 10-km stretch on Pinjore-Baddi Road, which had been lying incomplete for over 25 years due to lack of cooperation between Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, have brightened with the intervention of ministry of shipping, road transport and highways.
After publication of a report in FE, which highlighted the protest march held by industrialists and Assocham joining the issue, the ministry has sanctioned Rs 16.9 crore for remaining portion of land falling in three states. A letter issued by SK Marwah, chief engineer for director-general road development and special secretary in the ministry on July 3 says “two estimates for Siswan-Baddi road have been sanctioned for Rs 16.9 crore under ISC scheme for Punjab and Haryana.” The ministry had checked up with concerned officials and “it is understood that 200 metres of work had been left which will be completed by the end of this month in the Haryana”.
Similarly officers in Punjab have informed that “work on 3 km has been done out of 5.2 km and only one bridge, superstructure railing and expansion joint has to be done.” The FE had highlighted that the Associated Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Assocham) had joined the industrialists from Himachal Pradesh with units in Baddi . They had been demanding the repair of the national highway from Pinjore to Baddi and completion of left portion of road which runs through Punjab and Haryana. There are more than 3,000 small-scale units at Baddi mostly in pharma sector. The industrialists had been pleading that if the stretch was completed, the distance between Baddi and Chandigarh would be reduced by 20 km.
Swati A Piramal, president designate of Assocham had also written to the Union minister for road transport and highways, Kamal Nath on June 16 informing that after UPA’s decision to promote Baddi as an industrial township, majority of pharmaceutical companies had shifted base to town and created state-of-the-art infrastructure and manufacturing facilities across Baddi. Baddi had become hub for pharmaceuticals, electronics and host of other engineering goods and products. “The highway between Chandigarh and Baddi, however, was in pitiable condition and continued to be in state of neglect as various parts of the highway fall under Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh”. During monsoon, roads actually take a turn for the worst, become waterlogged which disrupts traffic.
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