Bhaderwah/New Delhi: Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, announced that the work on the Chattergala tunnel will commence as soon as possible under the auspices of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).
Chattergala is a mountain pass at an elevation of 3,200 meters (10,500 feet) in the Middle Himalayas, connecting the Chenab Valley’s Bhaderwah in the Neeru River Valley with Basohli in the Shiwalik Hills.
A meeting regarding the ₹4,000 crore project was chaired on Monday and attended by Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Jitendra Singh.
“The prestigious Chattergala tunnel project will be executed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), and the underpasses on the Kathua express corridor section will be undertaken at the earliest,” an official spokesperson said after the review meeting.
During the meeting, Singh thanked Gadkari for accepting most of the suggestions and proposals he had put forward. Singh noted that the proposal, initially prepared by the Border Roads Organisation, was initiated about six years ago but could not commence due to a lack of funds.
It has now been decided that the NHAI will undertake the construction of the new national highway from Lakhanpur to Basohli-Bani to Bhaderwah-Doda, he added.
“Referring to the under-construction Delhi-Katra express corridor, Singh recalled that it was approved after significant effort, which began in 2015. There were initial delays because Punjab also demanded a similar corridor for the highway between Delhi and Amritsar. Ultimately, an express corridor between Delhi and Katra with stopovers in Amritsar and Kathua was finalized,” he said.
Singh added that the corridor, which is in the last phase of construction, will also connect areas such as Hatli, Rajbagh, Chann Arorian, Chapper, and Kootah in Kathua.