The development work on the Katra-Delhi Expressway, road corridor has started! Once the corridor is complete, the travel time between Katra and Delhi will be reduced to around six and a half hours. Recently, Union minister Jitendra Singh was quoted in a PTI report saying that the project will be completed by the year 2023, and when it is operational people will prefer to travel from Katra, well known for Shri Mata Vaishno Devi shrine, to the national capital by road rather than by air or train. Singh further said that this road corridor will link the holy cities of Katra and Amritsar, as well as offer connectivity for some other major religious shrines between the two destinations.
According to the minister, once the first-of-its-kind Katra-Delhi express road corridor becomes functional, the travel time from Katra to the national capital will get reduced to nearly six and half hours, and from Jammu to Delhi to just around six hours. Following the completion of the survey by M/s Feedback Consultants Limited, the land acquisition process almost completed and the work on the ground has started. According to Singh, the project is likely to cost over Rs 35,000 crore. Some of the important cities through which this corridor will pass include Jammu and Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir, and Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Amritsar in Punjab.
According to the minister, the widening of the National Highway (to upgrade it from 4-lane to 6-lane) between Pathankot and Jammu is also being undertaken. For commuters between Jammu, Kathua, and Pathankot, it will be a great boon, he said. It is scheduled for completion within a timeline of three years, he said. It is being said that the road corridor will prove to be a game-changer in promoting industry and investments in the entire region. Additionally, in cities such as Kathua and Jammu, it will pave the way for the growth of economic hubs, Singh added.