Same old story — project started, stalled, forgotten; Amritsar residents vent ire

Every day, thousands of residents, commuters, traders and farmers are inconvenienced due to the unfinished work.

It is learnt that the contractor concerned stopped the work in October 2025 and the project has since become a headache.

Residents of the area said nearly 7,000 to 8,000 families were being affected by the situation on a daily basis.

Long traffic jams are witnessed at the site during peak hours. The condition of the other routes too is bad. Residents say several stretches are potholed and covered with slush.

During the rainy season, it becomes difficult for motorists to navigate through the stretches, raising the risk of accidents and causing further traffic disruption.

A resident said despite accidents, the authorities failed to do the needful.

Another local, Sukhwinder Singh, said it was difficult for ambulances and other emergency vehicles to pass through the damaged routes.

A few said reaching the cremation ground too was such a task in the area.

The Valla vegetable market is one of the major wholesale markets in North India and it is sad that it too is suffering because of the incomplete flyover. The market attracts farmers, traders and transporters from several parts of the region.

A trader said damaged roads, dust and prolonged traffic jams were affecting the movement of vehicles carrying farm produce to and from the market.

He added that vehicles carrying vegetables were often caught in traffic, while poor roads added to the travel time.

The Valla bypass is also an important link connecting the surrounding areas with other parts of the city. The prolonged disruption has, therefore, affected not only residents living close to the project site, but also those using the route for commercial and inter-city movement.

The residents and traders have questioned the traffic management arrangements around the flyover, saying the administration needed to take immediate measures rather than wait for the construction to resume. They demanded that the agencies concerned repair the diversion routes on priority, improve traffic management and provide a clear publicly announced timeline for restarting and completing the flyover work.