MoRTH launches ₹15,621-cr highway projects in J&K

The Union Transport Minister, Nitin Gadkari, has launched multiple NH projects in Jammu and Kashmir involving ₹15,621 crore. As many as 25 NH projects with a length of 259 km costing ₹11,721 crore were kick-started from Sports Stadium, Doda with the laying of foundation stones. While 24 major projects were taken up for massive up-gradation in the Doda Kishtwar region and projects for rectification of black spots in the Jammu-Pathankot national highway and building key tunnels on the Akhnoor-Poonch sections of the NH-144-A, which will cut the travel time to border Rajouri and Poonch districts drastically. The projects being undertaken by the ministry include up-gradation on the Goha-Khellani section and an LR to Goha village with total length of 9.46 km where the cost of the project is ₹228.39 crore. Other multiple projects in Jammu and Kashmir costing ₹3,900 crore. The projects included the improvement and upgrading of NH-227A (near Sikriganj to Barhaiganj) to two lanes with paved shoulders under the EPC model costing ₹403.36 crore. Likewise, the project has also been approved on Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM) mode under Bharatmala Pariyojana Phase-II at ₹3044.02 crore, which will cover the State of Punjab and the UT of J&K. In Ladakh, the minister approved construction work of three realignments including Drass, Kharboo and Kargil between Pandrass-Pashkyum on Zojila-Kargil-Leh road with two-lanes. The work has been approved under Project Vijayak (Border Roads Organization) on EPC model involving ₹426.14 crore investments.