High level meeting held to discuss proposal
Avtar Bhat
KATRA, Jan 8: The holy township of Katra, the abode of Mata Vaishno Devi attracting crores of pilgrims every year will get a facelift under smart roads and new parking lots.
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In this regard a review meeting for preparation of Preliminary Project Reports (PPRs) for three proposed smart roads and three parking lots in the holy township was held here today which was attended by officers of PWD and allied departments besides the local MLA.
The meeting was follow up of a communiqué from Prime Minister’s Office, New Delhi in connection with the memorandum of MLA Mata Vaishno Devi constituency, Baldev Raj Sharma given to PM, Narendra Modi during his visit to holy township last year. The PM urged Union Minister, Dr Jitendra Singh to look into the issue.
In his memorandum, the MLA has also raised severe water shortage and quality concern issue and demanded solving this problem besides uninterrupted power supply to holy township and base camp status for Katra town.
Following the Centre’s directive to UT Government, the Divisional Commissioner Jammu held a meeting of various departments on December 23 last year and constituted a review team with Chief Engineer, Pir Panjal, Tilak Raj as its chairman asking it to visit the area and frame the Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for the smart roads and other works.
Under the three smart roads one from Asia Chowk to Ban Ganga with a total length of three kilometers, another from Bhumika Temple junction to Bus Stand via Kashmir Panthal road an approximate length of 1.6 kms and third one from Udhampur junction to Hospital and Raghunath Ji temple with an approximate length of 0.5 km will be developed.
Today’s meeting was chaired by the Chief Engineer, PWD (R&B), Pir Panjal, Tilak Raj, and was held in the presence of the MLA, Mata Vaishno Devi Assembly Constituency (Katra), Baldev Raj Sharma.
It was highlighted during the meeting that the proposal for development of Smart Roads in Katra was first represented by the MLA, Baldev Raj Sharma, to Prime Minister, Narendra Modi during his visit to Katra on June 6, 2025. Subsequently, the matter has been under active consideration, and the entire process is being pursued in coordination with the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), which has given momentum to the project.
During the meeting detailed discussions were held on the preparation of PPRs for three Smart Road projects.
Chief Engineer, PWD (R&B), Pir Panjal, in his capacity as Chairman of the meeting, issued directions to the Executive Engineers (Xens) of all concerned departments to prepare and submit the PPRs within the next 17 days, emphasizing close inter-departmental coordination and timely completion.
After the meeting, the Chairman, MLA Katra, and officers of all concerned departments jointly conducted a field visit/road inspection of the proposed smart road stretches, including Asia Chowk to Banganga (Darshani Deodi), Banganga to Bhumika Temple and Bhumika Temple to Hospital Road.
During the field visit, it was also proposed to develop Multi-level parking facilities to address traffic congestion and parking issues in Katra town at Darshani Deodi, Banganga, near Bhumika Temple, Hospital Road near the Forest Office.
The meeting and field visit were attended by the Tehsildar Katra; Xen, PWD (R&B); Xen, PDD; Xen, UEED; Executive Officer, Municipal Committee Katra, Chief Executive Officer, Katra Development Authority; SHO Katra; AEEs and staff of all concerned departments.
The MLA emphasized that the proposed smart roads and associated parking infrastructure would significantly improve urban mobility, safety, and convenience for residents, pilgrims, and visitors to Katra. He urged all departments to ensure preparation of high-quality PPRs within the stipulated timeframe so that the projects can be taken up at the earliest.
The meeting concluded with a firm resolve to fast-track all procedural requirements for the early implementation of the proposed Smart Road and parking projects in Katra town.
Chief Engineer Pir Panjal, Tilak Raj said that officers of allied departments have been asked to submit their detailed report by January 25 so that the DPRs can be framed accordingly.
Mata Vaishno Devi shrine being one of the Shakti Peeths in the J&K attracting crores of pilgrims from India and abroad every year is proposed to be developed on the pattern of Mahakal Shrine of Ujjain in MP and Ram Janambhumi of Ayodhya, UP, said MLA Baldev Raj Sharma.
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