A credit war has broken out between the Congress and the BJP over the Rs 48.95-crore Guru Nanak Pura railway overbridge (ROB), the foundation stone of which was laid by Union Minister of State for Railways and Food Processing Industries Ravneet Bittu on Wednesday.
Bittu had laid stones of two ROB projects worth Rs 112 crore. After the Union minister said the project had been envisioned by the BJP for people of Jalandhar Central constituency, Congress leader Rajinder Beri claimed that it was a brainchild of his party.
Meanwhile, the BJP countered Beri today by saying a proposal for the project was sent by BJP leader Manoranjan Kalia.
Ravneet Bittu had said the ROB, which was part of a plan to construct railway bridges worth Rs 1,700 crore across the state, was solely a BJP project under the Narendra Modi government. The project was being built and funded by the railways to ease traffic woes of the area residents, he had added.
Bittu had also targeted the previous Congress government and the ruling AAP, saying they had shown no inclination towards bringing such projects despite traffic issues plaguing the area for long.
Countering the Union minister, Congress District (Urban) president and former MLA Rajinder Beri said the Guru Nanak Pura ROB project had been approved during the Congress regime in the 2018-19 Budget. Due to the Covid pandemic the ROB couldn’t be built, Beri said, adding that after the change of guard in 2022, the project was forgotten by successive governments.
He accused the BJP of laying the foundation stone months before elections with an intention to claim credit. Beri added that during the Congress rule, he had repeatedly raised the issue of constructing an ROB due to traffic congestion at the Guru Nanak Pura crossing.
Countering Beri on the issue, Jalandhar BJP general secretary Ashok Sareen Hikki today said the Congress leader was reiterating old claims and trying to mislead public, whereas the proposal was sent by former minister and BJP leader Manoranjan Kalia.
An approval was given by the Union Ministry of Railways, but from 2017 to 2026 the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party-led Municipal Corporation in Jalandhar and the successive state governments didn’t fulfil the responsibility of releasing their share of funds, Hikki claimed. He further asked the Congress leaders that if files were approved, why the state government and the MC kept the project hanging for eight years.
Two key projects
Notably, the Rs 48.95-crore ROB at Guru Nanak Pura, to be constructed in place of a level crossing on the Jalandhar City-Jalandhar Cantt section, will be situated on the busy Sahnewal-Amritsar route. It will help ease traffic congestion along the busy stretch, which is known for long waiting time due to the closed crossing.
The second project for which Bittu laid the foundation stone yesterday was the two-lane ROB at Garha Road. It will come up at level crossing No. S-4 on the Jalandhar City-Nakodar section. The Garha project will cost Rs 63.98 crore and shall ensure better connectivity to Jalandhar City, Jamsher Khas, Nakodar and adjoining areas, significantly improving commuter safety and reducing traffic congestion.
What Bittu claimed
While laying the foundation stones, Ravneet Bittu had said he hoped for full cooperation from the state government and that no ‘arikka’ (obstruction) would be posed in the construction.
“During the Congress and AAP rules, nothing much was done in this sector even as traffic volume increased manifold. Nearly 140 trains cross the Guru Nanak Pura railway crossing daily.
Imagine for how long the crossing must be closed in a day. Yet the previous Congress government and the ruling AAP dispensation did nothing. We decided that if we keep looking towards the state government, nothing will happen. We shall construct railway bridges worth Rs 1,700 crore and Rs 26,000-crore worth rail lines and crossings across Punjab for which the start has been made from Jalandhar Central constituency today.”
He had added, “Ideally, a new bridge is needed when traffic at a given location exceeds 1 lakh vehicles. However, in this case, the number of vehicles has risen to 5 lakh, yet no infrastructure has been developed.”
Manoranjan Kalia, credited by the BJP for bringing the project, had collapsed due to heat exhaustion at the Guru Nanak Pura event yesterday, after which he was hospitalised. Union Minister Ravneet Bittu had also called on Kalia later.
