Chandigarh, 3 January 2025: The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has reported a shortfall of land required for 103 km of stretches, delaying the completion of 15 highway projects covering 604 km across Punjab.
Among these, three parcels of the flagship Delhi-Amritsar-Katra (DAK) expressway remain stalled due to ongoing resistance from farmers, despite the acquisition of most of the required land.
NHAI, an autonomous body under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, has requested administrative and police assistance from the Punjab government to secure possession of the remaining land and resume work on the stalled highway stretches.
Meanwhile, construction is progressing on 22 highways spanning 740 km after the required land was handed over. NHAI is currently implementing 37 projects totaling 1,344 km in the state. Many had faced prolonged delays due to land disputes and farmer protests but resumed after Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari warned of project cancellations if land acquisition issues were not resolved.
Responding to this warning, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, former Chief Secretary Anurag Verma, and Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav expedited the process, securing over 94% of the needed land by negotiating with farmers and providing higher compensation packages.
In a recent communication to current Chief Secretary KAP Sinha, NHAI highlighted the remaining challenges. “Possession of 102.73 km out of the total 604 km across 15 projects is yet to be handed over to the NHAI. Administrative and police support is crucial,” the letter stated.
NHAI emphasized that delays in acquiring these land parcels are hindering progress on critical infrastructure development in Punjab, including the DAK expressway.
