Chandigarh
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Union minister of state for railways Ravneet Singh Bittu on Thursday wrote to Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann, seeking his intervention for early resolution of issues pending with the state government that are delaying several critical railway infrastructure projects across the state.
On the Nangal Dam-Talwara-Mukerian new rail line project, Bittu said while stage-II forest clearance has already been secured for two proposals, final approval for the remaining proposal is pending due to the clearance by the Wildlife Mitigation Plan by the chief wildlife warden, Punjab.
Railways submitted the integrated wildlife mitigation plan on June 16, and an early approval is “essential for obtaining final forest clearance” and moving the project forward.
About the Raman Mandi-Sadda Singhwala new rail line, he said it forms part of the Mansa-Bathinda doubling project and requires acquisition of 192.42 hectares of land in Mansa and Bathinda districts.
Bittu urged the state government to expedite the land acquisition process.
The Union minister also drew attention to delays affecting several road overbridge (ROB) and limited height subway (LHS) projects across Punjab due to pending land acquisition issues, delayed no objection certificates (NOCs), road closure approvals, traffic diversion permissions and other administrative clearances.
He pointed out that projects in Ludhiana, Fazilka, Sangrur, Hoshiarpur, Mohali, Bathinda, Jalandhar and Pathankot are awaiting approvals from various district authorities and departments, resulting in avoidable delays in execution.
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In his letter, the minister emphasised that the timely completion of the projects is not only of national importance but is also crucial for strengthening rail connectivity, boosting economic growth, facilitating industrial development, improving passenger and freight movement, and accelerating the overall development of Punjab.
He claimed that despite the Union government’s commitment to strengthening railway infrastructure in Punjab, a number of projects remain stalled due to pending land acquisition, statutory clearances and administrative approvals at the state government level.
Among such projects is the Ferozepur-Patti new rail line project, he said, adding that the 25.72-km rail line requires acquisition of 165.69 hectares of land in Ferozepur and Tarn Taran districts.
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Though the railways ministry deposited the entire land acquisition amount of ₹194.11 crore with the Punjab government in December 2025, possession of the acquired land has still not been handed over, preventing the commencement of construction work, according to the letter.
About the 18.11 km Rajpura-Mohali new rail line project, Bittu said it continues to face delays due to pending land acquisition in Patiala, Fatehgarh Sahib and Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar districts. The minister requested that the acquisition process be completed on priority to enable timely execution of the project.
These railway projects will improve connectivity, enhance logistics and freight movement, strengthen road safety by eliminating level crossings, promote industrial and agricultural growth, generate employment opportunities and provide long-term socio-economic benefits to the people of Punjab, according to the minister.
Appealing to the CM for an immediate intervention, Bittu said appropriate directions be issued to all concerned departments and district authorities to accord the highest priority to resolving the pending issues so that these long-awaited railway infrastructure projects can be completed within the shortest possible time.
