Patiala: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Member of Parliament from Sri Anandpur Sahib, Malvinder Singh Kang, on Wednesday met Union minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari and reiterated the long-pending demand to declare the Banga–Garhshankar–Sri Anandpur Sahib–Naina Devi Road as a National Highway. Kang discussed the strategic, religious and economic importance of the road and urged the Union govt to expedite the project.Kang said the proposed National Highway was not merely a road infrastructure project but a lifeline for lakhs of people across the region. He said the road connected Sri Anandpur Sahib, one of Sikhism’s holiest pilgrimage sites where Guru Gobind Singh Ji founded the Khalsa Panth in 1699, with Mata Naina Devi Temple in Himachal Pradesh, and that lakhs of pilgrims, devotees and tourists travelled on this route every year.The AAP MP said the road also served thousands of daily commuters, farmers, traders and transporters while connecting Punjab with Himachal Pradesh. He said upgrading it to National Highway status would improve connectivity, facilitate safer and smoother transportation, boost religious tourism, strengthen trade and commerce, and accelerate economic development across the region.Kang said that despite earlier approvals and announcements, including the foundation stone laid in 2019, the project witnessed no meaningful progress over the years. He urged the Union govt to fulfil its commitment by declaring the route a National Highway and bringing it under the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for timely development and maintenance. Kang said Gadkari gave a positive assurance and acknowledged the importance of the long-pending demand. He said he hoped the Centre would take concrete steps to move the project forward at the earliest.Reaffirming his commitment to the people of the Sri Anandpur Sahib Lok Sabha constituency, Kang said he would continue to pursue the matter until the region received modern road infrastructure. “Better connectivity is the foundation of development, and I will continue raising the voice of the people until this crucial demand is fulfilled,” he said.
