Katra-Srinagar to have high-speed corridor
Fayaz Bukhari
MINIMARG, June 9: Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari today announced a slew of upcoming road and tunnel projects worth over Rs 53,400 crore for J&K and Ladakh, saying the investments will enhance connectivity, boost tourism and strengthen strategic infrastructure in the region.
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The announcement was made after Gadkari witnessed the breakthrough of the main tunnel of the Zojila Tunnel project at Minimarg in Ladakh.
Among the biggest projects announced is the Rs 12,000-crore Katra-Srinagar four-lane high-speed corridor.
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The proposed corridor will serve as an alternative to the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway and reduce travel time between Katra and Srinagar from around five-and-a-half hours to three-and-a-half hours.
Gadkari also announced the Rs 5,700-crore Rafiabad-Kupwara-Chowkibal-Tangdhar road project, which includes construction of the strategically important Sadhna Tunnel.
Another major project is the Rs 4,000-crore Surankote-Bufliaz-Supen-Doodhpathri-Magam road corridor, which will feature the 8.5-km-long Peer Ki Gali Tunnel.
The minister said a Rs 7,500-crore Samba-Mansar-Udhampur four-laning project is also being planned to improve connectivity between Punjab and Kashmir.
In addition, the Centre is proposing a Rs 1,100-crore Srinagar-Qazigund service road project and a Rs 1,500-crore Srinagar-Sonamarg-Gumri road upgradation project to ease traffic congestion and improve access to tourist destinations.
A Rs 150-crore elevated road has also been planned in Kathua to address growing traffic congestion in the town.
For Ladakh, Gadkari announced a Rs 1,000-crore South Bypass and a Rs 200-crore North Bypass for Leh to decongest the town and facilitate smoother traffic movement.
He said the North Bypass will also improve connectivity towards Khardung La and other destinations.
The Centre is also planning the Rs 1,200-crore Fotu La twin-tube tunnel and the Rs 3,500-crore Kela Pass Tunnel to provide all-weather connectivity and improve access to remote areas, including Pangong Lake.
The minister further said three major tunnels are planned on the Manali-Leh axis. These include the Rs 8,800-crore Baralacha La Tunnel, the Rs 4,500-crore Lachulung La Tunnel and the Rs 2,250-crore Tanglang La Tunnel.
According to Gadkari, the proposed tunnels will reduce travel distance on the Manali-Leh route by around 50 km and cut travel time by nearly three hours.
He said the three tunnels will involve a combined investment of about Rs 16,750 crore and provide seamless all-weather connectivity to Ladakh.
Gadkari said the upcoming projects are part of a larger infrastructure push under which road projects worth around Rs 1.35 lakh crore are being executed in J&K and Ladakh.
He said projects covering about 700 km and worth Rs 20,000 crore have already been completed in J&K, while works spanning nearly 2,300 km are currently under construction at a cost of Rs 50,000 crore.
He added that Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) are being prepared for another 707 km of roads involving an investment of about Rs 65,000 crore.
The minister said four major high-speed corridors worth nearly Rs 50,000 crore are being developed across J&K.
These include the Jammu-Udhampur-Srinagar four-lane corridor, the Jammu-Chenani-Anantnag corridor, the Srinagar-Baramulla-Uri road and the Jammu-Akhnoor-Poonch corridor.
Gadkari said the Jammu-Udhampur-Srinagar corridor is nearing completion and is expected to reduce travel time between Jammu and Srinagar from around nine hours to four hours.
He said the Jammu-Chenani-Anantnag corridor will reduce travel time between Kishtwar and Anantnag from around seven hours to nearly two hours.
The minister said the Srinagar-Baramulla-Uri road will strengthen connectivity in north Kashmir and help ease traffic congestion in Baramulla and Pattan.
Other major projects underway include the Jammu-Akhnoor-Poonch corridor.
Gadkari also highlighted the Rs 41,000-crore Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Greenfield Expressway, saying the 670-km six-lane project will reduce the distance between Delhi and Katra by 58 km and improve connectivity between J&K and the rest of the country.
He said a 143-km section of the expressway in Jammu is expected to be completed by August 2027.
Highlighting tunnel infrastructure, Gadkari said more than 125 tunnels are either under construction or at various stages of planning across the country, with J&K emerging as a major beneficiary.
Besides the Zojila, Sadhna and Peer Ki Gali tunnels, key projects include the Singpora-Vailoo Tunnel, Sudhmahadev Tunnel and the proposed tunnel parallel to the Chenani-Nashri Tunnel.
Gadkari said road and tunnel projects worth around Rs 18,000 crore are currently under implementation between Kargil and Leh.
Among the key ongoing projects are the Pandrass-Paskeyum road project and the Kargil-Zanskar-Padum road, which is expected to significantly improve access to the remote Zanskar region.
He said the Kargil-Zanskar-Padum road has already reduced travel time between Kargil and Padum from around 12 hours to nearly four hours, boosting tourism and facilitating strategic movement.
Earlier, Asia’s longest Zojila tunnel connecting Kashmir to Ladakh, today achieved a significant breakthrough with a blast breaking through the last 2.5 metres of the 13-km high-altitude infrastructure project that cuts through the Himalayas.
Gadkari performed the breakthrough blasting of the main tunnel being constructed at an altitude of 11,578 feet above sea level.
“This is a golden day in the history of Indian infrastructure. The Zojila Tunnel is a state-of-the-art project and will become the lifeline of J&K and Ladakh,” he said.
The Union Minister said that the strategic project would serve as a lifeline for J&K and Ladakh while showcasing the country’s engineering and technological capabilities.
Gadkari said the project would also prove to be a game changer from a national security perspective by facilitating faster, safer and more efficient movement of troops, military equipment and logistics to border areas throughout the year.
Gadkari said the nearly 14-km-long bi-directional tunnel, being constructed on National Highway-1 between Baltal and Minamarg, would ensure all-weather connectivity to the region.
The project, being developed at a cost of around Rs 6,800 crore, is one of India’s most ambitious mountain infrastructure ventures.
Recalling his visit to Ladakh during his tenure as Bharatiya Janata Party president, Gadkari said residents had informed him that road connectivity remained disrupted for nearly six months every year due to harsh winter conditions.
“I felt saddened when I learned about the difficulties faced by the people because of the prolonged closure of the road. The need for a tunnel remained in my mind,” he said.
He said that after the BJP-led Government assumed office in 2014 and Prime Minister Narendra Modi accorded top priority to infrastructure development, work on the project was expedited.
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