Excelsior Correspondent
NEW DELHI, Aug 8: The process of preparing DPR (Detailed Project Report) for the construction of historic Chhattergalla tunnel on the new National Highway from Lakhanpur to Basohli-Banni to Bhaderwah and Doda has been initiated, with the BRO (Border Road Organization) assigning the task to the BEACON, a pioneer project wing of Army Engineering Corps, known for accomplishing several difficult road projects like Sonamarg-Kargil-Leh and Leh-Karupshi-Loma-Dungti-Chusul.
This was disclosed here today by Union Minister and Lok Sabha MP from Udhampur-Kathua-Doda, Dr Jitendra Singh when MLA Bhaderwah, Dilip Singh Parihar called on him to thank on behalf of the people of the constituency for the approval of the Chhattergalla tunnel. Parihar said, this is a dream-come-true for the people of the region and for this, several future generations will remain indebted to Dr Jitendra Singh, without whose efforts it could have never been possible.
Dr Jitendra Singh informed that he was in regular touch with Director General BRO, Lt. Gen. Harpal Singh who kept him updated about the status of the project. He said, the construction of the new National Highway is to be undertaken by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and a preliminary feasibility survey for construction of Chhattergalla tunnel was undertaken by the BRO after he had put forward this proposal before the then Defence Minister Manohar Parikar.
To be constructed at an estimated cost of over Rs. 3,500 crore, Dr Jitendra Singh said, Chhattergalla tunnel will prove to be a game-changer for the entire region and particularly for the areas falling in the jurisdiction of district Doda and district Kathua. Not only will it provide an all-weather, round -the – year, road connectivity, but will also considerably reduce the travel time, thus cutting down the journey from Doda-Bhaderwah to Lakhanpur to hardly 4-5 hours.
Chhattergalla tunnel, Dr Jitendra Singh said, may take quite a few years to become functional, and obviously the completion would not be possible within the current Parliamentary term, but, when ready, it will open up new avenues for tourism promotion, job creation and revenue generation.
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