SRINAGAR: The prestigious Chattergala tunnel work costing around Rs.4,000 crore will be executed by the National Highway Authority of India(NHAI) and the under-passes on the prestigious Kathua Express corridor section, wherever demanded by public, will be undertaken at the earliest. Disclosing this here today while briefing the media after a marathon meeting lasting nearly four hours and presided by Union MoRTH Nitin Gadkari to review important road and tunnel projects in Jammu & Kashmir, Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh expressed satisfaction and conveyed thanks to Gadkari for having conceded most of the suggestions and proposals put across by him. Elaborating further, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Earth Sciences, MoS PMO, Department of Atomic Energy and Department of Space, MoS Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Dr. Jitendra Singh said that the proposal for Chattergala tunnel had been initiated about six years back and the DPR was also prepared by the BRO agency ‘Beacons’ but due to lack of funds it could not be undertaken. He said,now it has been decided that the NHAI will undertake construction of the new national highway from Lakhanpur to Basohli-Bani to Bhaderwah-Doda. The construction shall begin from one end and when it reaches the tunnel site the construction of the historic Chattergala tunnel will also be executed, he added. Once this highway is complete, said Dr. Jitendra Singh, it will be a game changer as it will provide an all-weather connectivity between Lakhanpur and district Doda via tourist spots of Basohli and Bani, in addition to reducing the travel time considerably and giving a boost to business, employment and revenue generation. Referring to the under construction Delhi-Katra express corridor, Dr. Jitendra Singh recalled that the express corridor had been approved after a lot of efforts and the effort began way back in 2015. There were initial delays, he said,because Punjab had also demanded a similar express corridor between Delhi and Amritsar, and finally after arriving at a compromise to have an express corridor between Delhi and Katra with stop-overs at Amritsar and Kathua, the project was finalized. He informed that the express corridor is in the last phase of its completion and expressed satisfaction that on the Kathua-Hiranagar stretch, the public demand for the construction of underpasses at places like Hatli, Rajbagh, Chann Arorian, Chapper and Kootah had been accepted for the convenience of the local population. In the same constituency, Dr. Jitendra Singh said, the work on the national highway section of Kishtwar Chatru will also be expedited which will provide an alternative road connectivity for ease of travel. While expressing gratitude to the government headed by PM Narendra Modi for having allocated major highway projects to his Lok Sabha Constituency, Dr. Jitendra Singh said, the work on another prestigious project of Chenani-Sudhmahadev national highway will also be expedited. He further informed that the new national highway via Khilani to Goha will have proper linkage to the adjoining villages of Bergana, Humbal and Kalota which also happens to be his own native village. As the Minister representing J&K in the Union Council, Dr. Jitendra Singh also appreciated the MoRTH Minister for giving a special focus to the ongoing projects of Srinagar-Sonamarg section, Zojila tunnel, Jammu Rajouri highway and the two ring roads of Srinagar and Jammu respectively.
