The North News
Chandigarh, November 31
Punjab Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian said on Friday that the Chief Minister’s Flying Squad, set up by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, is closely monitoring the ongoing repair and upgradation of rural link roads across the state to ensure top-quality work. The large-scale infrastructure project involves upgrading and repairing 19,491 kilometres of link roads at a cost of ₹4,150 crore, under the supervision of the Punjab Mandi Board and the Public Works Department (PWD). Khudian said the government was committed to using only the best materials and warned that strict action would be taken against any contractor found compromising quality.
According to the minister, the CM Flying Squad has so far inspected projects in seven districts — Faridkot, SBS Nagar, Tarn Taran, Sri Muktsar Sahib, Jalandhar, Patiala and Gurdaspur. Punjab has a total of 30,237 link roads, stretching over 64,878 kilometres, of which 33,492 km fall under the Punjab Mandi Board and 31,386 km under the PWD. The current project will cover 7,373 link roads spanning 19,491.56 kilometres, with ₹3,424.67 crore allocated for repairs and upgradation and ₹725.75 crore for five years of maintenance.
Khudian said an Artificial Intelligence (AI) survey conducted for the project helped save ₹383.53 crore by optimising road planning and resource use. In addition, the state has launched a road safety initiative worth ₹91.83 crore to enhance visibility and reduce accidents during fog or low-light conditions. As part of this, a three-inch white safety strip will be painted along both sides of the upgraded roads.
