When we look at some of the engineering marvels in our country which its policy planners, engineers and its workers had the distinction to bring to completion, we readily realize and appreciate our inherent potential for growth. This potential needs to be harnessed and put on right direction. The Konkan Railway and now the Jammu -Srinagar railway are two near at hand examples that vindicate our assertion. Given proper environment and management, we are capable of making great achievements that would become a record in human endeavor for development.
Another feather in the cap of our planners and engineers will be the Rs 145 crore two-lane cable bridge over Ranjit Sagar Dam on River Ravi that will connect Basohli with Dunera in Punjab. This will be the first cable bridge in Northern India with enormous strategic importance as it will connect Jammu and Kashmir with Punjab through another alternate route that will link up Chamba, Bhaderwah with Kishtwar. Given the name Project Sampark, the Border Roads Organization has taken up the project and had done good consultative work with some foreign companies also that have expertise in cable bridges all over the world. Foundation stone of the bridge was formally laid in 2010 and a lot of preliminary work had to be done to begin the project in right earnest. Among the major preliminaries was the settlement of land acquisition in Punjab and that has been now finalized. Digging of pillars has begun. The project could not keep the date line of completion in 2014 and it will be deferred by one more year. Nevertheless, the project has taken off and the construction work is gaining momentum.
The fact of the matter is that the concept of road and rail connectivity was conceived first by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Apart from building north-south and east-west motor-way corridors, his plan was to spread out a network of internal links and thus bring a revolution in the economy of the country. The area which will be covered by the proposed cable bridge over the Ranjit Sagar Dam will, for the first time, expose the vast hinterland of Basohli right up to Bhaderwah and Chamba and thus work as the great booster of economy of the regions. Not only will agricultural and forestry pursuits find opportunity of development on a wider scale, the major benefit that will accrue to the Government will be a spurt in the tourist industry. The hinterlands of Basohli are bountiful in nature especially the Sarthal forests and there will be vast potential for development of these areas as part of tourist industry. Unemployment among the youth of the area and economic backwardness with which they are beset will be addressed once the transportation programme through this mountainous region is shaped and stabilized. The time has come when the mountains that served as barriers to movement of men and material will have to yield to the ingenuity of the man and his skills.
Some observers are of opinion that from Defence point of view, this connectivity will contribute immensely to the defence and security of J&K State because it provides the alternate route to the Valley.
Great deal of technical consultation has gone into the drawing of the project for the cable bridge. Apart from indigenous consultancies in the field, consultation has also been sought from foreign constructional companies in Switzerland, Spain, Japan and other countries. Every minute detail pertaining to the contraction has been examined, verified and passed. Take the case of cables. These have been purchased from Spain but their testing is conducted in Switzerland. Likewise, Japan will be supervising the construction of the bridge and ensure that all desk book rules are strictly applied. In this way, the cable bridge over Ranjit Sagar Dam is bound to come up as one of the wonders of modern India. It will immensely enhance our effort for modernization and industrialization of the country. We salute the BRO for undertaking this prestigious project and hope that the date line of 2015 will be adhered to.
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