Ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections, the state government has decided to raise an additional ₹800 crore to repair 8,000 km of rural link roads. This is in addition to an earlier ₹1,800 crore loan taken from NABARD to refurbish 12,000 km of roads, with the Punjab Mandi Board serving as the nodal agency for both projects.
Under increasing pressure from MLAs to improve rural road infrastructure, the government floated tenders for the new 8,000 km repair works before finalising the funding. Initially, it expected ₹800 crore in financial assistance from the Centre, but that figure is now likely to be lower than anticipated.
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In response, officials from the Punjab Mandi Board and the state finance department, led by additional chief secretary (finance) Alok Shekhar, held an emergency meeting to explore funding options. One possibility discussed was raising another loan through the Mandi Board. A follow-up meeting is scheduled for Tuesday to finalise the funding strategy. Officials also mentioned that some central assistance is still expected next month.
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Work on finalising contractors for the original 12,000 km road repair project is already underway, and many tenders have been allotted. With the addition of the new 8,000 km, a major portion of the state’s rural road demands—gathered from MLAs and public representatives—is expected to be addressed.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has already announced plans to upgrade and strengthen rural roads across Punjab. The repair work will be jointly undertaken by the Punjab Mandi Board and the Public Works Department (PWD). Out of Punjab’s total 64,878 km of rural and link roads, 33,492 km fall under the jurisdiction of the Mandi Board, and 31,386 km under the PWD.
