CM Bhagwant Mann on Friday laid the foundation stone for the first phase of the paved road from Gidderpindi to Phillaur along the dhussi bundh on the Sutlej, bringing an end to a 75-year-long wait for a proper road on the embankment.
The foundation stone laid at Mandala Chhanna village came as a ray of hope and progress for the people of the flood-hit villages of Shahkot. Rajya Sabha Member Balbir Singh Seechewal had written several letters to CM Bhagwant Singh Mann urging the construction of a road on the dhussi embankment.
Acting on the CM’s directions, a meeting chaired by then cabinet minister Meet Hayer was held at Punjab Bhawan on June 12, 2023. During the meeting, Seechewal strongly advocated for the construction of a permanent road on the embankment and for the removal of accumulated soil beneath the Gidderpindi railway bridge.
It is noteworthy that the dhussi embankment along the Sutlej was constructed during the 1950s and 1960s. Former Chief Minister Pratap Singh Kairon is still remembered by people for initiating and constructing these embankments. Over the past 75 years, residents of the Gidderpindi region have endured 10 major and minor floods. People from dozens of villages had long been waiting for the strengthening of the embankment and the construction of a permanent road on it.
Officials of the Punjab State Mandi Board informed that the proposed link road from Gidderpindi to Phillaur will be constructed in three phases. In the first phase, a 37.93-kilometre road will be built from Gidderpindi to Shahkot at a cost of Rs 61.82 crore. The second phase will cover 25.10 kilometres, while the third phase will involve the construction of a 32-kilometre paved road along the dhussi embankment.
Former sarpanch Sukhwinder Singh of Gatta Mundi Kasu stated that although residents of the flood-prone region had long dreamed of a road on the embankment, no political party had previously taken the issue seriously. He noted that Seechewal had remained focused on the project for the last four years. According to him, Seechewal was the first leader to personally survey the entire stretch from Gidderpindi to Phillaur and formulate the road construction project through the Punjab State Mandi Board.
Among those present on the occasion were Baba Pargat Nath of Rahimpur, Food Commission Chairman Bal Mukand Sharma, Constituency In-charge Parminder Singh Pandori, Deputy Commissioner Varjeet Walia, SSP Harvinder Singh Virk, SDM Lal Vishwas, Surjit Singh Shanti and several other prominent members of the region.
