After more than three years, the Outer Circular Road upgrade project is still far from being finished

The project to turn the Outer Circular Road into a smart road is still unfinished, despite missing many deadlines. of September 18, 2020, OP Soni, who was the cabinet minister at the time, officially opened construction of the 7.4-kilometer Outer Ring Road. The government said that the Rs 118.65 crore project will be finished in January 2023, at the time of its launch. However, despite missing deadlines, the project is still unfinished, and nothing on the dirty road seems “smart.”

The plan called for Amritsar Smart City Limited (ASCL) to build bike rickshaws and electric vehicle parking lots in addition to pedestrian walkways. In order to improve the road’s aesthetics, the authorities suggested installing street furniture, a green belt, bus stop shelters, lighting, signboards, and digital advertising boards, in addition to landscaping. The MC suggested creating additional zones for street sellers to set up smart booths without going over sidewalks. The suggested proposal called for the construction of 1.8-meter-wide bike lanes on both sides of the street. Roadside lighting was to be put in place, along with a parking lot designed to make traveling easier and traffic flow more efficiently.

Amritsar Smart City Limited has merely replaced the road’s carpeting over the last three and a half years, leaving the pits left empty while power lines were being laid. There is an improper placement of the sewer manhole covers. Trash heaps, stands, and carelessly parked cars betray the exaggerated claims made by the MC and ASCL.

The wires that were buried in the trenches are now exposed. There are no longer any iron grills or manhole covers next to the green belt. The project’s status is unknown to everyone; neither its completion nor its suspension. However, nothing has changed even after investing more than Rs 100 crore, according to Bhagtanwala resident Sandeep Sharma.