The drive from Ludhiana to Bathinda is set to become smoother and faster, as construction work has commenced on the six-laning of the 75.543-km-long National Highway (NH) 754-AD. The project, with an estimated cost of ₹1,716.17 crore, has been officially confirmed by the government.

Part of the Ludhiana-Ajmer Economic Corridor (EC-8), the project is being executed under Bharatmala Pariyojana Phase-I and is expected to be completed within 24 months, according to officials.

Chief Secretary Vini Mahajan recently reviewed the project’s progress during a high-level meeting and instructed officials to accelerate the current pace of work to ensure timely completion.

Providing further details, Deputy Commissioner Varinder Kumar Sharma

told The Tribune on Tuesday that the acquisition of 525.19 hectares of land is nearing completion. The pending land awards for 17 villages are expected to be announced by August 15.

Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) Rahul Chaba shared that the widening and strengthening of the highway are being undertaken by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in two segments under the Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM).

The project consists of two parts:

• Package 1: A 30.3-km stretch

• Package 2: A 45.243-km stretch

Thirteen bids were received for Package 1 (southern segment), while twelve bidders have shown interest in Package 2 (northern segment).
“Following the technical evaluation of bids for both packages, financial bids from technically qualified bidders will be opened, and the contract will be awarded to the lowest bidder,” a senior NHAI official stated.

For land acquisition, 201.67 hectares have already been acquired for Package 1. Package 2 will require an additional 323.52 hectares, spanning 36 villages across the district.

The civil cost of the project is estimated at ₹1,596.3 crore — ₹639.07 crore for Package 1 and ₹957.23 crore for Package 2 — while ₹119.87 crore has been allocated for land acquisition.

The 30.3-km-long Package 1 will begin at the junction with the Amritsar–Bathinda NH-754-A near Tallewal village at Rampura Phul in Bathinda. The 45.243-km-long Package 2 will start from the junction with Moga–Barnala NH-703 and connect to the Delhi–Katra Expressway (NE-5) at Ballowal village in Ludhiana.

The new Ludhiana–Bathinda Expressway will pass through 36 villages across three districts:

• Ludhiana (Ludhiana and Rajkot tehsils)

• Barnala (Barnala and Tapa tehsils)

• Bathinda (Rampura Phul tehsil)

The ADC (General) also reported that a proposal for the acquisition of 5.96 hectares of forest land under the project has been submitted to the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) following a joint verification. The final approval will be granted by the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF).
“The plan and profile of the project have already been submitted,” he added.