Construction of Highway will ease travel: Dr Jitendra
Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, June 4: The process for four lanning of much talked about 50 kms strategic Samba-Mansar-Udhampur has started with National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) issuing bids for hiring a consultancy for the same.
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The Highway with a total length of 50 kilometres will connect Samba, Mansar and Udhampur. The Highway will be a significant boost to infrastructure and regional connectivity both from the view point of ease of public transport and more so in the interest of security and defence.
According to sources, the NHAI is actively advancing the development of the Samba -Mansar –Udhampur corridor into a four /six lane National Highway and the NHAI has floated tenders for the consultancy service to manage DPR preparation and supervision.
The Highway will be an alternative route that allows Kashmir bound tourists and military convoys to completely by pass Jammu city and other major towns. This will also cut travelling time from Pathankot to Udhampur from four hours to two and saving 44 kilometre journey to Valley, sources added.
Sources said that this Highway will also cut the Kashmir travel time. Earlier the Dhar road was constructed in 1971 by BRO for defence purposes and since then it was not upgraded to four lanes despite the constant traffic pressure on this strategic road. This road was only catering to the traffic movement in this Kandi belt from Kathua to Udhampur, sources added.
Sources said since then the pressure of traffic has considerably increased on this road as civilian traffic connected various areas from Kathua to Udhampur are also plying on this road including 55 seater buses, trucks and other heavy vehicles of civilian and defence forces. This has necessitated the need of four-lanning of the Highway, sources added.
They said earlier four years back also a project report was framed by the NHAI in this regard but it did not get the approval from Ministry due to which the project was shelved.
However, the project has been taken up on the persistent pursuance of Union Minister, Dr Jitendra Singh who represents Kathua, Udhampur and Doda constituency after he took up the issue with both Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh and Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari. Dr Jitendra Singh who termed Dhar road a strategic Highway for J&K and stressed on four/ six lannig of entire Dhar road for ease of travel and boosting of infrastructure in the UT.
However the proposed Samba, Mansar and Udhampur Highway will have some major bridges and tunnels as well but the sources said the exact number of the same could be ascertained only after the consultancy starts its job.
Dr Jitendra Singh, while talking to Excelsior, said that the Dhar road was constructed over 60 years back in 1970 and was never revisited since then.
He said earlier Governments never paid attention for widening of the road though traffic pressure on it had increased tremendously over the years. He said the road is not only for civilian purposes but also for armed forces who too have to use this road for their convoys.
Dr Jitendra Singh said it was only after the repeated follow-ups by him and his party legislators that the widening of the road was undertaken. Presently the work on surfacing of Dhar road is also going on in full swing, but the Ministry in principle is in agreement of four lanning of entire Dhar road, he added.
He said with the construction of the Highway it will ease the travel of people especially from districts of Samba, Kathua and Udhampur.
Radhay Sham incharge NHAI for J&K said that earlier DPRs were prepared for the project some time back but it did not get the approval from Ministry so the tendering process was closed. He said now fresh exercise has been started and a consultancy is being hired for the project.
He said the four lanning of Samba, Mansar, Udhampur Highway has a length of about 50 kilometres and it will have tunnels at different places but the exact number of the same could be classified after the hiring of consultancy.
Meanwhile, the work is in full swing for surfacing of the Dhar -Udhampur -Mansar road. BRO Officer Commanding, Akhilesh Verma, said the 15 to 20 kms of the road has been totally damaged and 8 kms from Battal towards Dhar side the surfacing work is going on. The work is on full swing and it will be completed within two to three months.
With the surfacing of the road, the movement of the traffic will become smooth on this road, he said.
R S Pathania, MLA Udhampur East said that the Dhar Road as well as the Battal–Mansar Road is of immense strategic, public and tourism importance. He informed that the project shall be executed in multiple stretches, Paldhai to Kishenpur including the Challan–Ramkot stretch, and that a fresh surface and upgradation work is being undertaken at an estimated cost of around Rs 42 crore.
He further informed that the proposed corridor being constructed by NHAI is expected to include nearly six underground tunnels and will significantly reduce travel time while boosting tourism and economic activity in the region. The Project shall particularly benefit connectivity to the holy shrine of Mansar and several emerging tourist destinations along the corridor.
However MLA Billawar , Satish Sharma said the Government should take work of four lanning of entire Dhar road up to Udhampur for ease of travel which will also serve an alternative Highway National Highway.
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