Chandigarh (Gurpreet Singh): Aam Aadmi Party chief spokesperson Pawan Tinu and Anandpur Sahib Member of Parliament Malvinder Singh Kang met Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari in New Delhi on Monday to demand the immediate resumption of construction on the long-delayed Jalandhar-Hoshiarpur section of National Highway 03, including the Adampur flyover. The leaders presented a memorandum outlining the pressing connectivity challenges faced by commuters, businesses, and pilgrims due to the prolonged halt in work on the corridor.
Highlighting the timeline of the project, Tinu pointed out that the four-laning initiative has remained stalled since 2016, causing severe traffic congestion, frequent travel disruptions, and heightened road safety risks. The previous construction contract was officially terminated in July 2025 due to unresolved land acquisition disputes and litigation in Hoshiarpur. With the Union Ministry recently moving to approve re-tendering for the 17.8-kilometre stretch from Chainage 11.400 to 29.200, the leaders thanked the ministry while urging immediate administrative clearance to prevent further delays.
The leaders informed Gadkari that the Detailed Project Report submitted by the Authority Engineer is currently pending with the Regional Office in Chandigarh due to technical and administrative observations. Tinu and Kang requested the Union Minister to issue direct instructions to the Regional Office and ministry officials to resolve these procedural hurdles promptly. Clearing the DPR will enable the authorities to float fresh tenders and resume physical construction on the crucial highway corridor.
Underlining the strategic and cultural significance of the route, Kang emphasized that NH-03 functions as a critical interstate arterial link connecting Punjab with Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. In addition to bolstering regional trade and commercial freight movement, the highway serves as the primary route for thousands of daily pilgrims travelling to prominent shrines, including Mata Chintpurni, Jwala Ji, Baba Balak Nath, and Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib. The leaders expressed confidence that prompt intervention by the Union government will resolve local gridlock and ensure smooth, safer interstate transit.
