Gadkari Urges Swift Action on Attacks Against Engineers in Punjab

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has written to Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann expressing concern over attacks on engineers and contractors involved in the Delhi-Katra expressway projects in Jalandhar and Ludhiana. He urged immediate government intervention, warning that failure to act could lead to contract terminations.

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, has called for urgent action from Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann following recent assaults on engineers and contractors working on the Delhi-Katra expressway projects in Jalandhar and Ludhiana. Gadkari highlighted two alarming incidents in a letter sent on Saturday.

The first incident involved the brutal assault of a contractor's engineer in Jalandhar District, for which an FIR has been registered. In Ludhiana District, miscreants attacked a project camp and threatened to burn it and its staff alive, yet no FIR has been filed, nor have the perpetrators been arrested despite requests from NHAI officers.

Gadkari has urged the state government to file FIRs and take robust action against the perpetrators to prevent future incidents and ensure the safety of NHAI staff. He warned that unresolved land acquisition issues and law and order challenges could force NHAI to terminate multiple projects totaling 293 km worth ₹14,288 crore. Punjab Inspector General of Police, Sukhchain Singh Gill, confirmed that the case is under CM review, with a Special Investigation Team constituted to address the matter, assuring that the situation is under control.

(With inputs from agencies.)