Nod to DPR for 11-km Panjtarni tunnel, approach road
*4-lane Flyovers for Lal Chowk, Magam approved
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, June 23: The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MORTH) today approved Rs 10,637 crore worth 19 mega road and tunnel projects for the Union Territory, mostly in the Kashmir valley.
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Approval of funds for Peer-Ki-Gali tunnel will help make Mughal Road, an alternate road link between Jammu and Kashmir, an all-weather road.
Major projects approved by MORTH headed by Nitin Gadkari today include Peer-Ki-Gali tunnel on National Highway-701A (Mughal Road) which will be constructed at the cost of Rs 3830 crore and Sadhana tunnel on National Highway-701 (Rafiabad-Kupwara-Chowkibal-Trehgam-Chamkote) for which Rs 3330 crore have been sanctioned. Sadhna tunnel will provide uninterrupted road access to strategically vital Karnah valley, located near the Line of Control (LoC).
The Road Transport and Highways Ministry has also given nod to construction of Zaznar Shopian section of National Highway-701A at the cost of Rs 852 crore. A four-lane Flyover has been approved from Lal Chowk to Parimpora with a cost of Rs 700 crore.
Trehgam Chamkote section of National Highway 701 has been approved at the cost of Rs 966 crore while another four-lane Magam Flyover on Narbal-Gulmarg section of National Highway 701-A has been cleared with amount involving Rs 445 crore.
The Union Ministry has approved Rs 95 crore for construction of Qazigund Bypass and Rs 71 crore for two-lane bridge over Rambiara at Shopian and National Highway-444.
While Mughal Road connects Rajouri and Poonch districts of Jammu region with Shopian district in the Kashmir valley and is considered as an alternate road link to Jammu-Srinagar National Highway where Peer-Ki-Gali tunnel has been approved for construction, rest all projects cleared by the MORTH today fall in the Kashmir valley.
The Ministry of Road Traffic and Highways has also sanctioned preparation of Detailed Project Report (DPR)/ Feasibility Study for National Highway works to be taken up during next three years in Jammu and Kashmir.
And these all but one project also falls in the Kashmir valley.
The projects proposed for next three years include widening and upgradation of National Highway-444 from Srinagar to Qazigund (63 kilometers), construction of 2L+PS road from Shopian to Magam on National Highway-701A (75 kilometers), construction of 10.80 kilometers long Panjtarni tunnel including approach (31 kilometers) and development of Domail-Katra-Bamla section of National Highway-144 to 4-L specifications (82 kilometers).
Domail-Katra-Bamla section falls in Jammu and Reasi districts while rest all projects proposed for construction during next three years also fall in the Kashmir valley.
However, Detailed Project Report/Feasibility Study for 10.80 kilometers long Panjtarni (also known as Panchtarni) tunnel including 31 kilometers approach is being seen quite significant as it will link holy cave shrine of Shri Amarnath Ji from both Baltal and Pahalgam tracks.
Panjtarni is only six-seven kilometers short of the holy cave shrine and construction of tunnel and approach road there is part of the Central Government’s plan to link the area from both Baltal and Pahalgam tracks by road.
Presently, the people have to trek nearly 40 kilometers or take ponies and palkies for reaching Shri Amarnath Ji cave shrine from Pahalgam and about 13 kilometers from tough Baltal track in the Himalayas. This year, the Government has stopped helicopter services which previously used to operate from Baltal as well as Pahalgam tracks.
This year 38-day-long annual pilgrimage will start on July 3 and last till August 9.
However, as per the sources, construction of Peer-Ki-Gali tunnel will go a long way in making Mughal Road an all-weather road and an alternate road link between Jammu and Kashmir after Jammu-Srinagar National Highway. The train services have also started from Katra to Srinagar with inauguration of rail track by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 6.
The Mughal Road connected Rajouri and Poonch districts with South Kashmir’s Shopian district but gets closed during winters due to snowfall. Construction of Peer-Ki-Gali tunnel is expected to make it an all-weather road, the sources said.
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