Former MP and Padma Bhushan awardee Tarlochan Singh has urged Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari to modify the alignment of the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway project so that Amritsar is directly connected to the high-speed corridor.
In a letter addressed to Gadkari, Tarlochan Singh expressed concern that the proposed NE-5 Expressway, which will link Delhi with Katra through Haryana and Punjab before connecting to Jammu and Kashmir, does not pass through Amritsar district despite the city’s national and international significance.
Referring to reports about the expressway alignment, Tarlochan Singh noted that after entering Punjab from Jammu, the corridor is planned to pass through Gurdaspur, Kartarpur, Nurmahal, Mullanpur, Malerkotla, Dhuri, Bhawanigarh and Patran on its way towards Haryana. He pointed out that the route neither passes through nor touches the boundary of Amritsar district.
The former MP said that when the project was conceptualised a few years ago, assurances had reportedly been given that Amritsar’s importance would be duly considered and that the corridor was even referred to as the Katra-Amritsar-Delhi route.
Describing Amritsar as one of the country’s most prominent religious, cultural and tourism destinations, Singh said its exclusion from the expressway alignment was a significant omission. He urged the Union Government and the National Highways Authority of India to review the project and make necessary amendments to ensure Amritsar is brought onto the corridor.
He said that linking Amritsar directly with the expressway would boost tourism, trade and regional connectivity while strengthening access to one of India’s most visited pilgrimage and heritage cities.
He appealed to the Centre to take the matter into consideration and revise the project plan in the larger public interest.
