Jammu-Srinagar national highway work to be completed soon! Within one-and-a-half years, the widening of the Jammu-Srinagar NH, which is the only all-weather road linking Kashmir with the rest of the nation, would be completed. The nodal officer of the National Highway four-laning project, Finance Commissioner, Revenue, Pawan Kotwal, was quoted in a PTI report saying that the 8.5-km Banihal-Qazigund tunnel on the road is nearing completion and it would soon be thrown open for the public. In the year 2011, the highway widening work was started with the target of completing it within a period of five years. With the four-laning of the NH, the journey time would get reduced by half as the distance would be reduced by 50 kilometres bypassing many treacherous points.
Recently, the ongoing construction pace between Banihal and Nashri, which is the most problematic stretch of the highway, was inspected by Kotwal. The construction works at Nachilana, Chanderkote, Chamalwas, Seri, Ramsoo, Ramban and Dahlwas was inspected by the Finance Commissioner. He also directed the officers concerned to remove bottlenecks, if any, hindering the highway widening project. According to a spokesperson quoted, the Finance Commissioner was told that the process of land acquisition has been completed. Also, he was informed that for starting construction works, all the working sites have been handed over to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).
Fully satisfied with the pace of development work, Kotwal said the project would be over within a duration of one-and-half years. He was quoted in the report saying that a detailed project report worth an amount of Rs 2,000 crore is being formulated by the NHAI, considering the hilly terrain topography between Ramban and Banihal. This is to complete the changed 16-km four-laning realigned project which involved more tunnels as well as bridges in order to avoid landsliding and sinking areas, he said. Kotwal also directed the NHAI and contractors engaged in the project to ensure proper maintenance of existing roads for hassle-free movement of vehicles.