The decision of 4-lanning of Jammu – Srinagar National Highway was taken long back by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the then Prime Minister. Actually, it was part of the national level road networking project which he had contemplated for connecting the four corners of the country by national road grid. Apart from that, 4-lanning of the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was considered priority basis owing to the highway passing through unstable mountains that are prone to landslides or mudslides in summer rains and blockades during harsh winter snow. This NH is the life line connecting Kashmir valley and Ladakh with the rest of the country. Suspension of vehicular traffic on this highway even for a day or two means loss of crores of rupees and disruption of the line of communication. Additionally, the strategic importance of the National Highway beggars no description as it is the only link for our defence organization to reach the northern most borders in Ladakh.
The entire National Highway-1, which has been renamed as National Highway-44, was divided into three segments for the purpose of 4-lanning. The first stretch from Jammu to Udhampur is already in hand and about to be completed soon. The second stretch is from Udhampur to Ramban and the third from Ramban to Banihal. At the same time in the stretch from Udhampur to Ramban, two tunnels are to be excavated called Chenani – Nashri tunnel to avoid the sand-rock mountain of Nashri which is prone to recurrent landslides. It has been a dreaded stretch giving nightmares to the drivers and passengers. The purpose is not only to widen the Highway and reduce traffic congestion but also to reduce the distance and time for travel from Jammu to Srinagar. Furthermore, 4-lanning also means to reduce the great risk of accidents or traffic jams along the stretches posing many hazards for the travellers and drivers.
Though work on Jammu – Udhampur stretch for 4-lanning went on snail’s pace, yet owing to financial crunch the project suffered many hiccups. The same is true about the 9 kilometers long Chenani-Nashri tunnel where digging and excavation work had come to grinding halt owing to non release of funds and a dispute that had erupted with the contractors. The State Government taken up the issue with the Home Ministry and the good news is that the Union Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved Rs 3382.66 crores for widening the highway, reduce distance, provide all weather movement, check frequent jams and closure of certain stretches during snowfall and monsoon, which trigger landslides. Rs 1758.68 crores have been released for Udhampur-Ramban stretch and Rs 1623.98 crore for Ramban-Banihal stretch. This will infuse new energy in the project and project managers will be prompted to undertake the widening of the road without further delay. The distance between Udhampur and Ramban would be reduced to 40.07 kilometer and Ramban-Banihal stretch would be 32.10 kilometers.
Good and hassle free connectivity between Jammu and Srinagar has been a major factor that contributed to economic backwardness of the entire Chenab valley and Kashmir region. With its 4-lanning, distance will be reduced, time of journey will be reduced, the highway will remain open round the year and the occurrence of fatal motor accidents will be minimized to a large extent. At the same time, work on rail connectivity between Katra and Banihal is also underway and is expected to be completed by 2017. With these two new connectivities, the entire life style, economy and outlook in this long neglected area will witness sea change. The normal motor journey from Jammu to Srinagar is of 12 hours and after the remodelling of the Highway, it is likely to be not more than 6-7 hours run. All this appears like a dream as no one ever believed that these unstable rock mountains would yield a 4-lane modern highway to pass through their serpentine gorges. Indeed it will be a marvel of engineering as also the railway line across the forbidding Pir Panchal pass. The work will be carried out under the National Highways Development Project (NHDP), Phase-II and the cost of the project would include land acquisition, resettlement and rehabilitation and other pre-construction activities. In this way, the project has become a boon for the people of the villages located along the National Highway for whom avenues of work and wages will be thrown open.
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