Latest news with #Bittu
Hindustan Times
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Ludhiana: Bittu blames Mann govt over NOC delay
A day after AAP's Payal MLA Manwinder Singh Giaspura staged a protest over the delay in constructing a road overbridge (ROB) between Doraha and Sahnewal, the issue has taken a political turn with Union minister of state for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu accusing the Punjab government of misleading the public and stalling the project for 'political reasons.' Ravneet Singh Bittu (HT File) While Giaspura claimed that the Punjab government had issued a no-objection certificate (NOC) to the Railways in November last year, Bittu countered that the NOC was conditional and had been rejected by the Railways as it did not meet required parameters. 'Despite multiple letters written to the chief minister on May 2, May 21, and June 2 requesting a fresh and compliant NOC, no response has been received,' said Bittu. Bittu also produced official correspondence to support his claim, including a recent letter from the executive engineer, PWD Rupnagar, stating that the Punjab government had conditionally signed the general arrangement drawing (GAD) and imposed a condition that Railways must obtain a further NOC before starting execution. 'This is not just a technical issue, it reflects a lack of will,' said Bittu. 'The state government has not cleared the road for a project that directly impacts thousands of commuters.' Bittu alleged that AAP leaders were misrepresenting facts to score political points. 'The MLA is citing a letter from November 2024 as proof, ignoring the series of communications and meetings that followed, including one held in Chandigarh in January to resolve the NOC dispute,' he said. Originally, the project was to be constructed by Punjab's Public Works Department (PWD) through a private contractor. However, the state terminated that contract in August 2021, leading the Railways to take over the project. The dispute arose over conditions in the November 2024 NOC — notably the clause making Railways liable for an arbitration case pending between the state government and the original contractor. Giaspura, during his protest on Sunday, had accused the Union Minister of neglecting infrastructure development in his home district, Ludhiana. He also claimed that Bittu was playing politics by highlighting similar ROB issues in CM Bhagwant Mann's Dhuri constituency, while failing to act locally. In response, Bittu denied the allegations and said, 'This is a classic case of misinformation. The state government continues to delay the project despite knowing its importance. If they are serious, they must issue an unconditional, clear NOC.' The exchange highlights the growing tension between the AAP-led state government and the Centre over infrastructure projects in Punjab. As public pressure mounts, both sides now face questions over whether the political deadlock will give way to actual progress on the ground. Minister blames Bittu for delay in Dhuri overbridge project Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Punjab PWD minister Harbhajan Singh ETO accused Ravneet Singh Bittu of misleading the public regarding the delay in building the Dhuri railway overbridge. The minister said the state government is fully funding the ₹ 54.46 crore project and has already released the money. He shared official documents in Chandigarh to prove that the state government approved the project on October 24, 2024. He pointed out that ever since Mann became CM in 2022, he had promised to construct the overbridge, and the government has been working towards fulfilling that promise. ETO also mentioned that ₹ 1.32 crore has been paid to the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) and ₹ 1.42 crore to the forest department for utility and land-related work. The minister said that despite all this, the project cannot start because the Railway department has not issued a NOC, even though the central government is not providing any funds for the project. ETO also criticised Bittu for not raising this issue back in June 2021 when traffic at the railway crossing was already 1.75 lakh vehicles daily and Congress was in power. 'Now Bittu is spreading lies to cover up his own failures,' ETO claimed. He challenged Bittu to get the NOC from the Railways. 'If Bittu really cares about the people of Punjab, he should ensure the Railways gives the approval. As soon as the NOC comes, we will start work within three days,' he said. 'The only thing delaying the Dhuri overbridge is the Railways' approval, not lack of money or intent from the Punjab government,' he added.
Indian Express
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Union MoS Bittu targets Punjab CM Mann over Doraha ROB issue: His words are loud, but the truth is none
The row over the No Objection Certificate (NOC) for the construction of a pending road over bridge (ROB) between Doraha and Sahnewal on the Ambala-Ludhiana railway section continued even on Tuesday with the Union Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu accusing the AAP-led Punjab government of 'holding back the project for political reasons.' Meanwhile, Punjab's PWD Minister Harbhajan Singh stated that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann approved the project in October 2024. The Punjab minister accused the Railways of 'not granting the NOC for the overbridge, even though the central government is not contributing a single rupia for the construction'. 'Despite being Union Minister of State for Railways, Bittu failed to get the necessary approval,' he said. Bittu, on the other hand, said in a statement, 'Mann's words are loud, but truth is none; he fooled many and served none. This is a new low in dishonesty. The truth is the Punjab government is still holding back the project for political reasons.' The PWD minister accused Bittu of misleading the public regarding the issue of the Dhuri railway overbridge, stating that the entire funding for the overbridge's construction, Rs 54.46 crore, would be borne by the Punjab government, and the funds had already been released. The Punjab minister shared related approval documents with the media in Chandigarh, stating that since 2022, when Bhagwant Mann became the Chief Minister, he had announced the construction of this overbridge. 'The government has released Rs 54.46 crore for this purpose,' he added. Bittu also produced documents, claiming the government was yet to issue a 'clear and correct NOC' for the same. 'On May 2, May 21 and June 2, I wrote to Mann to issue NOC for the project and flagged the inordinate delay, but no response received to date,' Bittu in a statement said. 'The old NOC document, issued on November 11 last year, which Giaspura produced now, was a conditional NOC that was rejected, as it wasn't in accordance with the parameters of the Railways. After that, they have not issued a fresh NOC despite repeated reminders to the CM,' Bittu said. On Sunday, during a protest, AAP Payal MLA Manwinder Singh Giaspura targeted Bittu for failing to complete the overbridge project in his home district, Ludhiana, but 'playing politics over the similar project in Mann's constituency, Dhuri'. In Dhuri, Bittu had accused Mann of taking 'fake credit' for the upcoming ROB, and said that 'not a penny for the project has been sanctioned by the AAP government'. On the other hand, Mann had claimed that the Dhuri ROB was being established solely due to the efforts of the state government. To back his claim, Bittu shared a letter dated June 25 from the Executive Engineer, Construction, PWD Rupnagar, stating that 'the Punjab Government has only conditionally signed the General Arrangement Drawing (GAD) for the ROB. The condition imposed is that Railways must obtain an NOC from PWD before starting execution.' Bittu said, 'Despite this, the ruling party's MLA is representing an old letter dated 11.11.2024, misrepresenting facts before the public.' 'It's either a case of ignorance or deliberate misinformation. There's been a long chain of official communication after that 2024 letter, and they are conveniently hiding it,' Bittu added. Bittu said 190 trains pass through this ROB daily, along with over 3,000 vehicles. 'The public continues to suffer, while the Punjab government plays politics. The Railways is fully funding this Rs 70.56-crore project, yet the Punjab government, in alleged collusion with some officials, continues to withhold the necessary NOC,' the minister said. Bittu said, 'This Level Crossing (LC) number 164A is located between Doraha and Sahnewal stations on the Ambala (UMB)-Ludhiana (LDH) section. In the census of July 2022, the train vehicular unit (TVU) was approximately 6 lakh, so the ROB was proposed.' 'Earlier, the ROB was being built here by the Public Works Department (PWD) of the Punjab government through the concessionaire Atlanta Ropar Tollways Pvt Ltd. Northern Railway Construction. However, this work was terminated by PWD on August 5, 2021,' Bittu said. 'Thereafter, considering the high TVU of around 6 lakh, the work was sanctioned by the Railway Board, amounting to Rs 70.56 crore vide letter dated 29.02.2024. To avoid any contractual disputes at a later stage, the Railways wrote letters to the PWD twice in September last year for granting the NOC,' he said. 'On November 11, 2024, PWD, Punjab, issued the NOC letter to the Railways, but some of the terms and conditions of the NOC were not acceptable to Northern Railways such as taking the responsibility of the arbitration case ongoing between the Punjab government and the private firm which was earlier executing the work. A meeting was held in the conference hall of Punjab Secretariat in Chandigarh on January 27 between the representatives of the Railways and PWD officials led by secretary Ravi Bhagat to resolve the issue regarding the conditional NOC issued by PWD, Punjab, wherein it was decided that the Punjab government will relook into the legal aspect of this issue,' Bittu said. 'Multiple letters were written to the PWD and to the CM to remind them about the issuance of the NOC, but it hasn't been done to date,' Bittu added. The PWD minister, however, pointed out that in June 2021, when the Congress government was in power in Punjab, the traffic at the site was already around 1.75 lakh vehicles daily. 'However, Bittu did not raise the issue at that time. Now, he is engaging in false rhetoric to hide his failures.' He further said, 'Rs 1.32 crore has been released to PSPCL for utility shifting, and Rs 1.42 crore has been allocated to the Forest Department for the same.' Challenging Bittu, the PWD minister said, 'If he genuinely cares for the people of Punjab, he should facilitate the issuance of the NOC from the Railways. If Bittu can secure the Railways' approval within two days, the state government will commence the construction work on the third day itself, as the required funds are already available. The state government is only waiting for the Railways' NOC to begin the project.'
Indian Express
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
After Dhuri, railway bridge politics reaches Doraha: AAP MLA Giaspura protests against ‘non-construction' of ROB; Bittu says Pb govt sitting on NOC
Payal's AAP MLA Manvinder Singh Giaspura, along with hundreds of his supporters, sat on a protest near Doraha railway station, Ludhiana district, on Monday against the non-construction of a four-lane railway overbridge (ROB) between Doraha and Sahnewal on the Ambala-Ludhiana section for over a decade. This came a day after Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann and Union Minister of State (MoS) for Railways and BJP leader Ravneet Singh Bittu got into a war of words regarding the upcoming ROB in Sangrur district's Dhuri. Slamming Bittu for 'playing politics in Mann's constituency Dhuri, but failing to construct a ROB in his home district Ludhiana', Giaspura said the ROB at level crossing no. 164AB has not been constructed despite the issuance of a 'requisite no objection certificate (NOC)' by the ruling AAP government in Punjab. Giaspura said: 'The AAP-led Punjab government has already issued an NOC to the Railways, regarding the project… If they won't construct the ROB for our local residents, then we won't also let trains cross here. We have even paid the state's project share, but nothing is being done. We are not asking Bittu for any favour, we are asking for our right.' 'First, construct the ROB in your home district, then go for Dhuri,' Giaspura said, while threatening to 'sit on 24×7 protests as well as block railway traffic if they don't begin the ROB work at the earliest.' During their protest against the Centre and Railways over 'inordinate delay' in the Doraha-Sahnewal bridge project, Giaspura further said: 'Before playing politics in Dhuri, Bittu should take care of the inconvenience faced by the people in his home district Ludhiana. The project has been pending since 2012… The previous Congress and SAD-BJP governments did nothing to complete it. Doraha residents were happy that something could be done now as Bittu, a local, has become the Union MoS for Railways. However, even he failed to solve the issue. Bittu became a minister despite losing the Lok Sabha elections from Ludhiana, but he is yet to learn his lessons. Residents face inconvenience, with many accidents happening due to the missing bridge.' Bittu trashes Giaspura's claims, says Punjab govt sitting on NOC 'despite multiple letters to Mann' Reacting to this, Bittu told The Indian Express on Monday that he will 'write and personally handover a fresh letter to Mann, demanding clear and correct NOC for the Doraha ROB' as he denied Giaspura's claims. Bittu said: 'I have sent at least four letters to the CM Mann to issue an NOC to the Railways, but we have not received it yet. Earlier, the Doraha ROB was being handled by a private company under the directions of the PWD Department, Punjab government. However, the company left the work midway after PWD terminated their contract in 2021. Now, the Punjab government is contesting an arbitration case against that company, while not being ready for issuing the NOC, despite repeated reminders. Earlier they had provided a conditional NOC, which wasn't according to Railway's parameters so they were asking to provide a clear NOC which hasn't come till date. This politics over the Doraha ROB is being played by the AAP because I had exposed their hollow claims in Dhuri on Sunday.' Bittu also wrote on X: 'MLA Giaspura Sahib, stop misleading people. If you have the correct NOC given by the Punjab government for Doraha bridge, then where can I come to get the NOC from you.' Bittu's spokesperson meanwhile said: 'The Punjab government has only approved a general arrangement drawing, that too just four days back, with a condition that the railways will obtain NoC before execution of the work.' In a letter dated May 22 this year, Bittu wrote to Mann that there has been an 'inordinate delay' in issuing 'No Objection Certificate (NOC) by Public Works Department (PWD) of Punjab for the construction of a 4-Lane ROB at level crossing number 164 AB.' 'Severe inconvenience is being faced by the public over the past 10-15 years due to this busy level crossing… The ROB was originally planned to be constructed by Punjab PWB at their own cost (approximately Rs 70 crore) as per present cost. However, the contract was terminated by the PWD in 2021 and very less progress was made. The Ministry of Railways has stepped in to construct the ROB entirely at Railway's cost. PWD may be requested to solve the arbitration case independently.. and direct PWD for early issuance of a clear NOC,' wrote Bittu to Mann. Giaspura meanwhile said that the AAP government 'has already given its financial share and the NOC on November 11, 2024.' Bittu's spokesperson however said that the NOC earlier provided by the Punjab government was 'conditional one asking the Railways to bear the cost and claims associated with arbitration proceedings.' 'They were told to provide an unconditional and a clear NOC which they haven't till date even as a new work including both the railway span and approach roads were sanctioned by the Railway Board on 29.02.2024 itself,' he added. Another written reminder to Mann was sent on June 2 also, he said. On Sunday, Mann had announced that the work on Dhuri RoB would begin soon. Reacting to this, Bittu had slammed Mann for 'taking fake credit' as the 'the Railways is in the process of granting an approval for the RoB adjoining Dhuri LC 62A railway crossing — without efforts from Mann or the ruling AAP government in the state'.
Indian Express
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Punjab CM Mann says Dhuri ROB work to begin soon; Bittu slams CM for taking ‘fake credit'
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday announced that the work on railway overbridge (RoB) in his constituency Dhuri, Sangrur district, would begin soon. Reacting to this, Union Minister of State for Railways and BJP leader Ravneet Singh Bittu slammed Mann for 'taking fake credit' as the 'the Railways, which has to grant an approval for the RoB adjoining Dhuri LC 62A railway crossing, will do it soon — without efforts from Mann or the ruling AAP government'. 'The Mann-led AAP government in Punjab has not sanctioned a single rupee for the work,' Bittu said. Asserting that 'necessary clearance' was granted for the work by the Ministry of Railways after 'persistent efforts by the state government', Mann said in a statement: 'The state-of-the-art RoB, which will be constructed at the level crossing (phatak) no. 62A, will play a crucial role in resolving traffic congestion in the Malwa region, particularly for commuters in the Dhuri segment. The total cost of the project is Rs 54.76 crore, which will be funded entirely by the state government.' He also said that 'once initiated, the project will be completed within 18 months. Groundwork began in 2024, but the progress has been delayed due to the pending final railway permission/ NOC since March 2025… The state government pursued the matter diligently, and with required approvals from the Railways, the project work will commence shortly.' Terming Mann's remarks 'misleading', Bittu said: 'In the past three years, Mann has not provided a single rupee to the Railways for cost-sharing overbridge projects across the state. If he had even sent Rs 54.76 lakh, he would have held a press conference. This Rs 54.76-crore claim is pure optics. Can the CM tell in which head this amount is lying, and why it has not been disbursed till today.' Bittu further alleged: 'A few residents met me very recently, and after listening to their grievances, I took up the issue at the highest level immediately. Despite being the MLA from Dhuri, the CM has done nothing to address this long-pending demand… Now that the Railways has taken the initiative, Mann is shamelessly trying to take credit.' Slamming Mann for his alleged neglect towards Dhuri, Bittu said while the previous chief ministers made significant efforts to develop their home constituencies, Mann failed to do so. 'He has not held even a single public interaction in Dhuri after becoming the CM… The bus stand is in poor condition, and the local hospital lacks basic infrastructure too.' 'I had received multiple representations from local BJP leaders and citizen groups, urging immediate action on the overbridge as the 62A railway crossing remains closed for hours, effectively cutting the town into two and causing daily chaos for commuters,' Bittu said, adding residents often have to wait three to four hours to cross the railway tracks.
Hindustan Times
25-06-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
October 2025: New deadline for Chandigarh Railway Station revamp
After missing two previous deadlines, the redevelopment of Chandigarh railway station is now slated for completion by October 2025. The revised timeline was discussed during a review meeting held on Tuesday, chaired by Union minister of state for railways Ravneet Singh Bittu. The upgraded Chandigarh railway station is designed to cater to a projected daily footfall of over 1 lakh passengers by 2061. (HT Photo) In the meeting, minister Bittu instructed officials to speed up the pending work and minimise the inconvenience caused to the public during rush hours. Around 81% of the redevelopment work is complete, and the Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) aims to finish the ₹ 462 crore project by October 2025. The redevelopment work, which began in January 2023, missed its first completion deadline in May 2024 and another in May 2025. No clear reason has been provided by the RLDA for the continued delays. Due to the ongoing project, passengers have been facing many problems, including the lack of escalators, lifts, and ramps, as well as having to walk on uneven surfaces and walk an extra 100 metres because of pick-and-drop charges. During rush hours in the afternoon, a chaotic traffic situation is seen at the station, which has a daily footfall of over 37,000 passengers. The redevelopment project of Chandigarh railway station is being executed by the RLDA under the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) model. The project aims to transform the station into a modern, world-class multimodal transit hub serving the Chandigarh Tricity region. The total development area of the station is 1,92,248 sq metre, with a built-up area of 27,383 sq metre. Expanded parking, lifts, escalators and much more There will be new G+3 station buildings on both Chandigarh and Panchkula sides, each covering an area of 8,367 sq metre, aimed at improving accessibility and passenger movement. A covered concourse of 72m wide and 80m long will connect the station buildings and provide weather-protected transit across platforms. Another two 12m wide foot over bridges will also be constructed for inter-platform movement. The parking will be expanded on both sides with an area of 24,515 sq metre with integrated traffic flow designs for both city sides. The station will have 30 lifts and 10 escalators for barrier-free movement. Enhanced waiting areas i.e. 1,180 sq metre concourse with 1,050 seats, food courts, retail spaces, retiring rooms, co-working spaces, paid lounges and other commuter-focused amenities. There will be a 4,000+ sq metre of commercial area, including kiosks, food outlets, and shopping spaces. The upgraded Chandigarh railway station is designed to cater to a projected daily footfall of over 1 lakh passengers by 2061. Among the key attendees included Manoj Garg (vice chairman, RLDA), Sanjeev Garg (principal executive director, Gati Shakti/Railway Board), Dhananjaya Singh (executive director, MoSR), Sanjay Srivastava (chief project director, Northern Railway), Tarun Kumar Goyal (member, planning, RLDA), Balbir Singh (chief project manager, RLDA Chandigarh), and MS Negi (director, Railway Board), among others.
