Infra push for Jammu and Kashmir: 4 key projects Centre has approved
In a big infrastructure push for Jammu and Kashmir, the Centre on Monday (June 24) sanctioned 19 big road and tunnel projects worth Rs 1,0637 crore. Of these, two tunnel projects and two roads are specially important.
What are these projects and why are they important? We explain.
While the Centre has sanctioned a total of 19 projects, including tunnels, roadways, flyovers/elevated corridors and bridges, four of them are high-value projects with strategic importance.
These are: a tunnel at Pir ki Gali on the Srinagar-Shopian-Bafliaz-Jammu road; the Sadhna tunnel on the Kupwara-Karnah road; a 28-km road stretch from Zaznar to Shopian in south Kashmir; and the resurfacing of the 68-km Trehgam-Chamkote road.
Tunnel at Pir Ki Gali (on Mughal Road)
The nine-km tunnel, a high-priority project, is being constructed at a cost of Rs 3,830 crore. It will provide all-weather connectivity to the valley through the historic Mughal road that connects Kashmir to Jammu's Pir Panjal region. The tunnel is to be constructed between Chatta Pani in Poonch and Zaznar in south Kashmir's Shopian.
Zaznar-Shopian road (south Kashmir)
The Centre has also approved the construction/improvement of the 28-kilometer road stretch from Zaznar on the Mughal road to Shopian. The road will be built at a cost of Rs 836 crore and has been declared a high-priority project.
Sadhna tunnel in Kupwara (north Kashmir)
The other key tunnel project approved by the Centre is the Sadhna tunnel that will connect Kupwara in north Kashmir to Karnah, an administrative tehsil on the Line of Control (LoC). The 7-km stretch will be built at a cost of Rs 3,330 crore and provide all-weather connectivity to the border region. So far, connectivity on this route is affected in winters because of snowfall and avalanches.
Trehgam-Chamkot road (Kupwara in north Kashmir)
The Centre has also sanctioned the construction/improvement of the Trehgam-Chamkote road, the existing road between Kupwara and Teetwal, the last point on the Line of Control (LoC). The 68-km stretch is being built at a cost of Rs 966 crore.
Why these four projects are important
The new projects have huge strategic and security importance, especially amid the Centre's push to develop border road infrastructure.
In November last year, the Centre announced an ambitious highway project connecting Jammu's Rajouri and Poonch with the Kashmir valley through the existing Mughal road. The new highway— Surankote-Shopian-Baramulla — is to be constructed at a cost of Rs 10,000 crore. It is proposed to pass through Shopian and Budgam before reaching the border region of Uri Baramulla in north Kashmir, a total distance of 300 kilometre.
Currently, the Kashmir valley — from Qazigund in south Kashmir to Uri in north Kashmir's Baramulla — is connected through only the NH44 national highway. In case of a crisis or war-like situation, the highway within the valley is vulnerable to sabotage. Therefore, the need for an alternative road was felt to connect the border regions.
While the Mughal road, the ancient imperial route linking Srinagar to Lahore, is an alternative road to the valley, it remains closed for around four months during the winters because of snowfall and avalanches. The Pir Ki Gali tunnel, in this context, assumes significance to keep this road open throughout the year. It is also vital in terms of the proposed highway within the valley that connects Shopian to Baramulla, thus lessening the dependence on the existing NH44 highway.
The Zaznar-Shopian stretch is also part of this proposed new highway taking off from the Mughal road to Baramulla through Budgam.
The Sadhna tunnel is significant for soldiers to access the frontier region of Kupwara.
In January this year, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari announced that a 124-km road project between Rafiabad-Kupwara and Chamkote would be taken up at a cost of Rs 250 crore. The Sadhna tunnel is essential to keep this road link open throughout the year.
The Centre has also announced that the Pir Ki Gali and Sadhna tunnel projects will be taken up by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO). Earlier, the projects were to be taken up by National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL). The Centre announced that a meeting with the Ministry of Defence would be held and the DPR transferred from NHIDCL to BRO immediately.
Bashaarat Masood is a Special Correspondent with The Indian Express. He has been covering Jammu and Kashmir, especially the conflict-ridden Kashmir valley, for two decades. Bashaarat joined The Indian Express after completing his Masters in Mass Communication and Journalism from the University in Kashmir. He has been writing on politics, conflict and development. Bashaarat was awarded with the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards in 2012 for his stories on the Pathribal fake encounter. ... Read More
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