Nishikant Khajuria
JAMMU, May 1: Incomplete stretches may continue to hit a smooth drive on Jammu-Udhampur National Highway even as more than 88 percent work on the project has been completed and second 2-lane Jhajjar Kotli bridge is almost ready for getting commissioned in next two weeks.
Besides ongoing work on tunnels at Nandni, which is likely to be opened in October 2014, there are four stretches at different points measuring total length of more than 4.6 kms where the work has not yet been taken off due to delay in land acquisition and other related issues, official sources informed the Excelsior.
The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), which is the executing agency for the work on Jammu-Udhampur National Highway, requires at least six to nine months for completion of work on these leftover stretches after the land is handed over, sources explained.
June 2014 is the deadline for completion of Jammu-Udhampur National Highway, excluding 3.81 km long stretch having tunnels and bridges at Nandni area on which the work could not be started timely due to delay in clearance by the Wildlife Protection Board. The area was handed over to NHAI in September 2012 for work with October 2014 as deadline.
According to R P Singh, Project Director NHAI, tunneling in 2100 mtrs length has been completed out of 2900 mts and the entire stretch is likely to be opened by October 2014.The executing agency has successfully completed work on two of the four tunnels (T1 and T3) while tunneling on the T2 and T4, is in progress and likely to be completed by September 2014, he added.
Among all the tunnels, T4 has the maximum length of 540 meters followed by T3 (330 meters), T2 (300 meters) and T1 (210 meters).
At Manthal and Tikri, where the work got delayed due to site constraints like construction of high viaducts and up to 18 meters high retaining walls on the Valley side, the job on left side has been completed and nearing completion on the right side. This stretch of about 1.11 kms, is likely to be opened in next two weeks. Similarly, the second 2-lane bridge at Jhajjar Kotli is almost ready for throwing open for vehicular movement by mid of this May while dismantling of shops and other structures in Jhajjar Kotli village, Ban village etc is in progress.
However, there is no progress in land acquisition at village Phalata, Phangyal, Sangoor and Jakhaini which is delaying commencement of National Highway work on these stretches. At village Phalata, diversion of Soil Conservation land is awaited while at village Sangoor, there is an issue of temple relocation and very high retaining wall.
When contacted, Deputy Commissioner Udhampur, Yasha Mudgal said that the District Administration was extending all cooperation to the National Highway Authority of India for speedy work. However, there is problem in land acquisition at a few stretches due to some legal hurdles, which are to be sorted through court and thus there has been delay in starting work, she added.
As there appears no progress on early acquisition of required land, the incomplete stretches on the highway would continue to hit smooth drive on Jammu-Udhampur road.
The Jammu-Udhampur road widening project is part of the NHAI’s flagship project of four-laning Jammu-Srinagar National Highway. The entire stretch of Jammu-Udhampur road has 64 major 2-lane bridges, 61 minor two lane bridges/underpasses, 4 twin tube tunnels of aggregate length 2.80 km and 220 culverts.
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