Chandigarh to Karnal: A decade of progress under two CMs

For ten years, Karnal retained its status as the CM City, with Manohar Lal Khattar and later Nayab Saini representing the region. Despite spending most of their time in Chandigarh, both CMs remained connected with Karnal. Manohar Lal provided numerous development projects, while Nayab Saini initiated several new ones. The city saw substantial growth, particularly under the Smart City initiative, although some promises remain unfulfilled.

Development projects under Manohar Lal Khattar

During his tenure, Manohar Lal Khattar, who served as Karnal's MLA for nine and a half years, frequently visited the city. He was instrumental in launching key projects that transformed Karnal's landscape. Under his leadership, the city benefitted from:

Infrastructure enhancements: Roads connecting Karnal to other districts were expanded to four or six lanes, significantly improving connectivity.
Smart city initiatives: Over Rs 1,100 crore was invested in making Karnal a Smart City, resulting in the development of tourism sites, medical colleges, a horticulture university, and an inter-state bus terminal.
Educational and sports facilities: New institutions, including five ITIs and five women’s colleges, were established. Additionally, a hockey stadium and an all-weather swimming pool were built, and the Karan Stadium was expanded.

Nayab Saini's contributions

Nayab Saini, who succeeded Khattar, continued to support Karnal’s development during his 72-day tenure. Although he couldn’t announce any major new initiatives, he inaugurated and laid the foundation for projects worth crores of rupees. His efforts focused on improving public accessibility to local governance and ensuring ongoing projects reached completion.

Unfulfilled promises

Despite significant progress, some promises remain incomplete:

Naval airstrip expansion: The expansion project remains pending.
Traffic decongestion: The proposed T-flyover construction to alleviate traffic jams has not begun.
Civic facilities: The planned multi-story building and parking at the old municipal office and vegetable market site, as well as the construction of a civil hospital in Sector-32, have yet to start.

Political backgrounds of both leaders

Manohar Lal Khattar, a former RSS pracharak, was the first non-Jat CM in 18 years, winning significant margins in the 2014 and 2019 elections. He appointed local representatives to stay connected with Karnal's residents. Nayab Saini, with a history in BJP leadership roles, rose from being the Ambala Cantonment BJP president to serving as a minister and later winning a by-election to become the CM in 2024.

Despite the progress, Karnal still awaits the fulfillment of key projects, with hopes pinned on future administrations to complete these promises.