Jalandhar, June 20 -- With an aim to provide a permanent solution to the flood menace and improve road connectivity between the Lohian and Shahkot areas of Jalandhar district, Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday laid the foundation stone of the 37.93 km-long Dhussi Bundh Link Road along Sutlej river. Addressing the gathering at Mandala Channa village in Shahkot constituency, Mann said construction of the permanent road over the kutcha bundh will safeguard residents from recurring floods every year, while simultaneously easing traffic congestion on key road networks and boosting economic activity. Accompanied by Rajya Sabha member Balbir Singh Seechewal, Mann said Rs.61.82 crore had been sanctioned for this major infrastructure project under the Punjab government's ongoing drive to build world-class roads across the state. "People residing in Shahkot and Lohian regions have lived under the constant threat of floods for decades. Previous governments made tall promises during elections but neglected the basic infrastructure needs of this rural belt," he said. Mann said his government believed in delivering results and not merely in making false promises, as he had personally witnessed the hardships faced by the people of this area during 2023 floods when the villages were disconnected with the main land. Seechewal said with this project, people's 75-year-long wait for a proper road on the embankment had finally come to an end. Officials of the Punjab State Mandi Board said the proposed link road from Gidderpindi to Phillaur will be constructed in three phases, benefiting thousands of residents. In the first phase, a 37.93-km road will be built from Gidderpindi to Shahkot at a cost of Rs.61.82 crore. The second phase will cover 25.10 km, while the third phase will involve the construction of a 32-km paved road along the Dhussi embankment....