The National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL), responsible for the construction of the highways on Monday said that the new national highway line for Doda and Kishtwar districts from Marmat to Sudhmahadev will be a two-lane road with an improved width.
The 110-km-long Batote-Kishtwar national highway is the only all-weather road connectivity of these two districts with the rest of the country.
The corporation said they haven’t yet received any proposal to construct a new four-lane highway or upgrade the existing two-lane national highway to a four-lane. “We are currently working on the new national highway line for Doda and Kishtwar districts from Marmat in Doda district to Sudhmahadev in Udhampur district but it will not be a four-lane highway. That will be a two-lane road with an improved width,”
According to the official, this new highway will have two tunnels between Marmat and Sudhmahadev, one a five-kilometre-long tunnel and another two-kilometre-long tunnel and several bridges. Another tunnel is under construction between Thathri and Drabshala and the final 12-km-long tunnel is under pipeline between Singhpura in Kishtwar district and Vailoo in Anantnag district, bypassing the Sinthan pass, which remains closed due to snow accumulation in the winters.
Meanwhile, Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari on Monday said that this road will serve as an alternate highway to Kashmir Valley.
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