Ahmed Ali Fayyaz New Delhi, November 22nd: Following more than 30 visits by Central Ministers to Jammu & Kashmir over the past two months, India’s Government is giving the Union Territory a major developmental boost.Amit Shah, Union Home Minister and Nitin Gadkari visited Jammu and Kashmir for his first 4-day tour.
This was in addition to the construction of four highways for Jammu and Kashmir and a light rail transit system.
Gadkari approved work on important national highways and roads in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, and neighbouring State Punjab.
This includes the construction of a strategic highway linking Akhnoor and Poonch.
Gadkari tweeted that “Rehabilitation and upgrading work to 2-Lane on Akhnoor Poonch Road (NH-144) has been approved under Project Sampark (BRO on EPC mode) (Pkg–V) was announced.
Gadkari announced also approval for construction of a 4/6-Lane, access-controlled expressway (NH-54 at Balsua to Junction with Pathankot–Gurdaspur Road) of Delhi-Amritsar–Katra Expressway using HAM mode under Bharatmala Paraiyojana.The budget is Rs 3,044 Crore in Punjab Jammu and Kashmir.
Gadkari authorized construction of Ladakh’s three 2-lane realignments, including Drass Kharboo and Kargil, between Pandrass-Pashkyum and Zojila-Kargil-Leh (National Highway-I), under Project Vijayak, Border Roads Organization, in Engineering Procurement and Construction mode (EPC) with Central funding at Rs 426.14 million.
Today’s approval of the three projects at a cost of more than Rs 3.900 crore will give an important boost to highway development and infrastructure networks in J&K, Ladakh and Punjab.Particularly, the Delhi-Amritsar–Katra Expressway will significantly reduce travel times and distances between New Delhi and Jammu.Passing through Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir, it will be substantially beneficial for travellers-particularly tourists, pilgrims, students, farmers and traders.
The construction of the Akhnoor–Poonch highway is expected to significantly reduce travel times between Jammu-Poonch via the border region of Jammu Rajouri, Poonch and Rajouri districts.The construction of the road linking Jammu and Akhnoor has already begun.
This highway will greatly benefit Rajouri’s and Poonch’s populations, as well as the security forces.Strategically critical areas include Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir UT’s Rajouri and Poonch.
Gadkari visited J&K during October to inspect the tunnels in Zojila on the Srinagar–Leh highway.This will provide for the first-ever all-weather connection between Leh and Jammu, Kargil, Srinagar, Srinagar, and Jammu.
Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha expressed gratitude Friday to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Gadkari, for sanctioning Rs 441,41 crore for the revamp and upgrade of Akhnoor-Poonch’s two-lane Akhnoor-Poonch Road.This road falls under National Highways – 144A.
Sources confirm that Gadkari will announce in the next few days four additional national highways in Jammu & Kashmir.The Jammu Division will host all four.
They include the widening of and conversion into a highway on the Jammu–Sialkot Road, up to the International Border in Suchetgarh.It would boost tourism and provide relief to the Army/BSF who guard the IB.
This highway, which is part of the Union Highway Ministry’s ‘Baratmala’ project, would run from Jammu’s Tawi Bridge to Jammu, and then pass through Jammu’s Miran Sahib, RS Pura and Jammu’s airport.It will also parallel the pre-Partition rail track that runs through Sialkot between Lahore and Jammu.
Recently, the BSF began a “Beating of the Retreat” on a daily basis following the same pattern as the paramilitary exercises between the Indian border guards and the Pakistani ones at Wagah.Rangers from Pakistan have so far not participated in the drill at Suchetgarh.
Another part of the ‘Bharatmala’ project is the construction of a national highway between Dayalachak, Basohli via Challan, Billawar, and Manpur.The project will improve road connectivity in Kathua, connecting Hiranagar to Billawar and Basohli.
Soon, the Centre will create a tourist route through Billawar and Basohli.
Two more roads being declared as the national highways are Kathua-Basohli-Bani-Bhaderwah-Doda (connecting National Highway-44 with National Highway-244) and Doda-Bhaderwah-Chamba (Himachal Pradesh) connecting National Highway-154 A with National Highway 244.Kathua-Basohli-Bani-Bhaderwah-Doda highway will give a major boost to road connectivity to hilly areas of Kathua and Doda districts while Doda-Bhaderwah-Chamba highway could become a major road link between Jammu and Himachal Pradesh.
Sources knowledgeable said the cost estimate for Jammu’s four proposed national highways was being calculated.These sources confirm this.According to these sources, the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs is currently finishing up an ambitious Light Urban Rail Transit Project, called “Metrolite”, for Srinagar.
The estimated cost of the project is Rs 4,892 crore.Jammu, UT’s winter capital would get a Metro or Metrolite project.
Metrolite, a light rail urban transit system designed in India to serve as both a feeder and for existing metros.This will provide a lower capacity for passengers at a less expensive cost than the metro lines.
The tracks will be separate from the roads.Metro in Delhi, and other cities of India is capable of handling large cities.
This is necessary for larger cities that have high peak hour traffic (PHPDT) and ridership.Metrolite will not only be cheaper in capital, but also have a lower operating and maintenance cost making it more feasible.
Sources say that Metrolite will be complete in Srinagar in just four years.There would be 24 stations along the corridors.A 12.5km corridor will link Indira Nagar with HMT, while another would run from Iqbal Park through Osmanabad.
(The content of this article is carried in accordance with Indianarrative.com
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