Centre sanctions ₹1,093-cr for NH-72 in Uttarakhand

The Central government has sanctioned ₹1,093 crore to widen the two-lane Ballupur-Paonta Sahib highway in Dehradun and make it a four-lane stretch. It will improve Uttarakhand's connectivity with Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh. Earlier, in 2018, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) had invited tenders for preparing a detailed project report (DPR) for the highway widening at a project cost of ₹820 crore. Currently, the 41-km-long Ballupur-Paonta Sahib stretch of NH-72 is 10 metres wide and after the upgrade, it will be widened to 20 metres. Once completed, the four-lane highway will cut short the travel time between Dehradun and Chandigarh. The construction work is likely to begin in the next three months and would be completed in two years.