The good news is that in the process of 4-laning of Jammu-Srinagar Highway, a major achievement of bringing nearly eleven kilometres long Chenani – Nashri tunnel to completion by the year 2015 is on the anvil. The 2519-crore rupee project was launched on May 23, 2012 with time line of its completion by 2016. Hopefully the strategic tunnel, the longest surface tunnel in the country, will become functional five months ahead of the scheduled date. In technical aspect, it is a most modern type of tunnel constructed with the help of Austrian expertise. The peculiar thing about it is that it has an Escape Tunnel also as a safety measure. The tunnel reduces distances and time and above all it solves the problem of landslides that usually and often become roadblock at Nashri. With the tunnel becoming functional, journey to Srinagar will become a real pleasure trip without hassles and will immensely boost movement of men and material defying the hurdles caused by rain and landslides.
Kashmir and Ladakh regions have remained landlocked for most of the time in a year. The existing Highway was initially a cart road and was called Banihal Cart Road. But after the independence of India and J&K State becoming integral part of the Indian Union, it has always been in the mind of policy planners that connectivity to Kashmir and Ladakh needed total reformation. It was in this background that two mega projects were envisaged. One was of bringing railway to Kashmir and then onwards to other parts, and the second was to have a 4-lane Highway connecting Jammu with Kashmir. Both of these mega projects are on way to completion in a year or two. The second stage of connectivity is of double lanning of Srinagar -Ladakh Highway. These projects are bound to change the destiny of the State and usher in a new era of development, prosperity and progress. We salute the policy planners, engineers, skilled and unskilled labourers who have worked hard on these connectivity projects and helped the State cross threshold of progress.
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