Haryana govt puts Nagina-Tijara road project on hold, irks locals in Nuh

Hindustan Times

13 hours ago

The Nagina-Tijara road project meant to connect the Sarheta village in Nuh to Rajasthan, has been suspended until December 31, 2026, an official from the Gurugram Public Works Department (PWD), said on Thursday.
The road, once touted as a symbol of inter-state connectivity, now lies abandoned and the project has been put on hold triggering anger among locals.
The Haryana government official, cited above, was responding to a public complaint filed in October 2023.
Originally launched in March 2018, following its announcement by then chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar during a rally in Punhana in December 2015, the project was expected to connect Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. The proposed 13-km-long road would have reduced the current 45-km detour between Nagina and Tijara, helping people to travel across these states.
The official statement announcing the suspension has turned viral on social media platforms and has triggered anger among the locals living in Nagina, Punhana and Pinangwan, with multiple delegations now planning to meet CM Nayab Singh Saini and raise the issue.
Convenor of the Mewat RTI Manch, Rajuddin Meo, who filed the original complaint on October 8, 2023, expressed his disappointment. 'This is not just any road—it was meant to honour the memory of Raja Hasan Khan Mewati. His statue was installed at Barkali Chowk in Nagina by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in March last year. A budget was allocated, but suspending such a significant project for two years raises serious questions about the government's intention,' he said.
To be sure, the project has already faced numerous administrative and legal setbacks. It was awarded twice by the Haryana PWD to different companies. The first contractor, SKR Company, abandoned the work mid-way. A second firm was assigned the remaining stretch, but later approached the Punjab and Haryana high court in 2018, citing land and technical issues, leading to the construction being stalled.
Although the matter was later withdrawn from the high court in 2019, work was not resumed.
Beyond historical importance, the road holds religious significance for many in the region. Jain devotees from Mewat often struggle to reach the renowned Digambar Jain temple in Tijara, currently having to travel over 45 km via Ferozepur Jhirka. The Gram Panchayat of Notki and former Tijara MLA Ayub Khan have been advocating for this direct route.
Earlier, in June 2011, then CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda had announced a four-lane road from Nagina to the Tijara border in the presence of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi. A budget of ₹19.81 crore had also been earmarked with the promise being reiterated during the 2014 Haryana assembly polls.
Now, with Sarheta's direct connection in limbo, residents of Sarheta and Kotla are deeply annoyed with the government's decision to suspend the project.
A recent delegation led by Mewat RTI Manch and the Mouji Foundation raised the matter with sub-divisional officers in Tijara, Khairthal-Alwar DC, and the chief minister's office. Yet, with the PWD's latest confirmation of the project's suspension, many in Mewat feel betrayed and side-lined—fearing that the region's historical legacy and infrastructural needs will continue to be ignored.
Superintending engineer, PWD B&R, (Gurugram circle) Praveen Chaudhary said, 'The demand regarding widening of the road from Nagina to Tijara, which consists of two different roads, has seen progress, with the Nagina to Notki Road (ID 1187) of 3.5 km approved in-principle for ₹1.5 crore. For the Notki to Tijara Road, while an agreement was terminated, new proposals for a 4km-long road in Haryana and a 2km-long road in Rajasthan are being considered, despite previous geotechnical investigation issues.'