Punjab Floods Devastate Roads and Bridges: Minister Reveals Shocking Damage Details
In a recent review meeting in Chandigarh, Punjab’s Public Works Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO shared alarming updates on the flood damage across the state. The recent devastating floods have wrecked 4,658 km of roads and 68 bridges, leaving a massive trail of destruction that demands urgent action.
Breaking it down, the minister highlighted the impact on different road categories. Under Plan Roads, floods damaged 19 bridges and 1,592.76 km of roads. They also hit 4,014.11 metres of R-walls and B-walls, plus 92 culverts. On National Highways, four bridges and 49.69 km of roads took a hit, along with 2,559.5 metres of R-walls and B-walls and 14 culverts. Link Roads fared even worse, with 45 bridges and 2,357.84 km of roads affected, including 3,282 metres of R-walls and B-walls and a whopping 376 culverts. Even the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana roads suffered, with 657.54 km now in need of repairs.
The total cost to fix all this flood damage in Punjab? A staggering Rs 1,969.50 crore for restoring bridges, roads, R-walls, B-walls, and culverts. This huge bill underscores the scale of the recent floods in Punjab and the urgent need for swift rebuilding.
Harbhajan Singh didn’t hold back during the meeting. He ordered National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) officials to fix road conditions right away and speed up stalled projects. He voiced serious worries about frequent accidents on service roads near under-construction flyovers at Mallian, Tangra, and Daburji along the Amritsar-Jandiala section. "Complete these repairs without any more delays," he told the team firmly.
The minister also tackled traffic woes under the Kharar flyover, directing NHAI to clear the ongoing congestion immediately. Discussions touched on the Punjab government’s app-based survey to gauge flood losses in about 2,800 villages, helping officials track the damage more effectively.
Key attendees included Special Secretary PWD Hargun Jeet Kaur, Chief Engineers Gagandeep Singh, Vijay Kumar Chopra, Ramtesh Bains, and Anil Gupta, plus NHAI’s Regional Officer Rakesh Kumar and Project Director Aseem Bansal. As Punjab recovers from these floods, the focus stays on quick fixes to keep roads safe and traffic flowing.
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