No mention of Srinagar Ring Road, PDP cries foul
17 major road projects undertaken in J&K
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, July 18: Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari today announced that Qazigund-Banihal tunnel project on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway will be completed by July 2020 while work on Detailed Project Report (DPR) for two laning of Mughal Road will be completed by January next. He said Mughal Road has been approved “in principle” as a National Highway subject to outcome of the DPR.
Gadkari submitted this information in the Lok Sabha in response to a written question.
He said the progress of Qazigund-Banihal tunnel project on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway undertaken by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is 75.24 percent against the funds allocated amounting to Rs 2648 crore for the project.
The tunnel is scheduled to be completed by July 2020, he added.
On Mughal Road, Gadkari said the work on preparation of Detailed Project Report costing Rs 3.23 crore for two laning of Mughal Road connecting Shopian to Bafliaz in Poonch district is in progress and scheduled to be completed by January 2020. The State road, he added, has been approved as National Highway “in principle” subject to outcome of the DPR.
He added that construction of 58.26 kilometers Ring Road around Jammu City is in progress. The work is being executed by the National Highways Authority of India. Significantly, there was no mention of Ring Road Srinagar in the total 17 projects listed by the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, which were undertaken in J&K. It may be mentioned here that Ring Roads for Jammu and Srinagar were approved simultaneously by the Union Government.
Commenting on this, former Works Minister and PDP leader Naeem Akhter took to twitter writing: “There’s no mention of Ring Road Srinagar. Hope it’s not abandoned”.
It may be mentioned here that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid foundation stones of both – Jammu and Srinagar Ring Road projects on May 19, 2018.
“With a view to enhance the capacity of National Highways in Jammu and Kashmir, the Government has undertaken 17 major road development projects of aggregate length of 1554 kilometers,” the Highways Minister said.
Gadkari said work on 4 laning of Jammu-Akhnoor road and 2 laning with paved shoulders of Akhnoor-Poonch on National Highway 144A is in progress while work on Akhnoor-Poonch section is at the stage of DPR. Work on Jammu-Akhnoor road is being executed by National Highway Infrastructural Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) and on Akhnoor-Poonch section by the Border Roads Organization (BRO). It will be a total 246 kilometers long Highway.
He added that work on 2 laning with paved shoulder of Chenani-Sudhmahadev-Goha road on National Highway-244 is also in progress and is being executed by the NHIDCL. It will be 274 kilometers Highway.
“Construction of two lane road of 265-kilometer Batote-Kishtwar-Sinthanpass-Anantnag on NH-244 is at the DPR stage,” the Highways Minister said, adding work on nine bridges is in progress for 2 laning with paved shoulder of Kargil-Zanskar road on National Highway-301, which will have total length of 234 kilometers and will be constructed by the State Public Works Department.
The Union Minister said work on 4 laning of Ramban-Banihal road on NH-44 with a total length of 32.1 kilometers is in progress. Work on 4 laning of Srinagar-Banihal section of NH-IA is also in progress. This road will have total length of 67.76 kilometers.
Work on 2 laning with paved shoulder of Srinagar-Shopian-Qazigund road on National Highway-444 is at the tender state. The road has total length of 150 kilometers and work will be executed by the State Public Works Department (PWD).
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