Around 178 km four-laning projects to be constructed for ₹4,700-cr in HP

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has announced that approximately 178 kilometers of four-laning road projects would be constructed at a cost of ₹4,700 crores in Himachal Pradesh. During a review meeting with senior officials of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and Public Works Department, Sukhu emphasized the importance of expediting the disbursement of land acquisition compensation cases and directed authorities to settle all compensation cases as soon as possible to prevent inconvenience to the public.

The widening of the four-lane Nalagarh to Swarghat road with a budget of ₹600 crore, the Kala Amb-Paonta Sahib-Dehradun four-lane widening project with an estimated cost of ₹1200 crore, the four-lane widening of Amb to Una and Punjab Border to Nadaun on NH-03 with an outlay of ₹1500 crore, and the construction of the Una bypass with an estimated outlay of ₹500 crore have all been approved.

He also announced the construction of a missing link of the bridge from Birhu to Lathiani in Una district, estimated to cost ₹900 crore. The missing link will be built on the backwaters of Govindsagar Lake, and the DPR for the project should be submitted by February 25, 2023.

To ensure timely approvals in Forest Conservation Act (FCA) and Forests Rights Act (FRA) cases, the state government has established a committee under the chairmanship of the concerned Deputy Commissioner, with the District Forest Officer (DFO) and user agency as members.

He also urged officials to accelerate the construction work of the four-lane Shimla-Matour, Kiratpur-Ner Chowk, and Mandi-Pathankot National Highways to ensure that people can benefit from these projects in a timely manner.