NEW DELHI: Senior BJP leader and Member Parliament Jugal Kishore Sharma today expressed gratitude to Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari for conceding to the most vociferously projected demand of the people of Jammu for not having RE blind wall between Kunjwani and Narwal, as part of Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway. In a statement, after meeting the Union Minister, along with senior BJP leaders from Jammu including Devender Singh Rana, Vikram Randhawa and Sham Lal Langar, Chairman of the party’s Traders Cell, Jugal Sharma expressed satisfaction over the issue resolved at the high level meeting of the National Highway Authority of India, presided over by Gadkari. Sharma described the decision taken at the meeting with regard to preserving the commercial grandeur of the highway between Kunjwani and Narwal as fulfillment of the aspirations of the people of the Temple City, who had been peacefully highlighting this demand under the aegis of the BJP. “Today’s decision has brought cheer to the people in general and respite to the stakeholders of the business hub in the Jammu outskirts”, Sharma said while lauding the pragmatic stewardship of the Union Road Transport and Highways Minister. He said the stakeholders have been seeking vehemently demanding construction of flyover between Kunjwani, Sainik Colony, Channi Himmat and Narwal Sector as the RE wall would have meant choking of business hub, impacting the sustenance of thousands of stakeholders directly or indirectly. They had always welcomed the Expressway to have seamless journey of spiritual bliss seekers to Shri Mata Vaishno Deviji but were seeking flyover instead of RE wall. BJP National General Secretary Tarun Chugh had also taken up the issue with Gadkari, keeping in view the concerns of the stakeholders, as the thickly populated city area, comprised schools, hospitals, local markets, shops, malls, banquet halls, main-fruit Mandi, Main-Vegetable Mandi,Transport Nagar, ISBT bus stand and new railway station platforms with entrance and exit axis. Therefore , the blind wall would have spoiled all the establishments and also created obstacles in free movement of people. It may be recalled that a deputation of the prominent citizens of the affected areas besides those engaged in trade and commerce, led by senior BJP leader Devender Singh Rana and comprising Sham Lal Langer BJP Traders Cell and Arun Gupta President Chamber of Commerce Jammu had called on the Union Minister Nitin Gadkari a couple of weeks ago with this demand of immense public importance. The Union Minister had assured the delegation that necessary instructions would be issued to the National Highway Authority of India, keeping in view the public sensitivity over the issue. “Finally, after several rounds of meetings, the Union Minister has been kind enough to communicate the decision to the National Highway Authority of India that there will be no RE wall between Kunjwani and Narwal sector of the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway”, Jugal Sharma
