Amarinder Singh inaugurates Rs 51 crore road in Ludhiana

The Ludhiana Municipal Corporation's much-touted 2.3-km elevated road from the Jagraon Bridge to the Chand Cinema opened today, though it is not connected with other inner city roads.

This road has been constructed at Rs 51 crore. With an initial budget of Rs 31.6 crore, the elevated road project was drawn up in 2001 and was supposed to be completed in 18 months. But its cost escalated to Rs 51 crore and stretches that were part of the original project were scrapped.

According to Ludhiana Municipal Corporation (LMC) officials, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh's convoy was the first to cross the 2.3-km stretch.

According to the earlier plans, the elevated road was supposed to connect the Lakkar Bridge, Mata Rani Chowk, and the Rekhi Cinema.

Speaking to Business Standard, Ludhiana Municipal Commissioner Vikas Partap today said: "These connections (link with inner city roads) are not viable as we do not have space for constructing them. So, the public can use the elevated road end to end--the Jagraon Bridge to the Chand Cinema."

"However, we plan to make a ramp from the Laxmi Cinema to the Jagraon Bridge-end of the elevated road to ease the inner-city traffic," he added.

There were plans to connect the Mata Rani Chowk with the MC parking, and the MC parking with the Sabzi Mandi Gurdwara. All these stretches were part of the original budget.

"The existing project (elevated bridge, end-to-end) will reduce traveling time by 15 to 20 minutes for commuters going towards Jalandhar and coming from Jalandhar on way to Ferozepur, Ambala and Malerkotla," he said.

On inauguration-eve, Vinod Thaper, a distant relative of martyr Sukhdev Thaper, said the martyr's residence was 400 metres from the elevated road, and it should thus be named "Shaheed Sukhdev Thaper Elevated Road."