Preparations are being done to connect Himachal with Jammu and Kashmir through the National Highway. The National Highway Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDCL) has started the process of completing the construction of the double-lane road.
The special thing is that the part of Himachal is about 10 kilometers in this route which is about 80 kilometers long till Tharthari-Kalujugasar-Kilohatran-Makkan-Chasul. The double-lane road from Makkan to Chasul will be constructed on the Himachal border.
A four-kilometer-long tunnel will also be constructed on this route at Kahljugasar in Jammu and Kashmir. This route will connect Chamba district with Doda and Kishtabad.
The longest part of the route will come from the Doda district. The length of the double-lane road here will be 65 km. When in Kishtbad, this length will be five kilometers.
After this, 10 kilometer part of the route will come in Himachal. In 2018, the Central Government gifted this new National Highway to Jammu and Kashmir.
Although there is a demand from the Himachal side to convert the Jammu-Bhaderwah-Kalujugasar-Makkan-Sanwal road into NH, the Central Government has not yet given any consent to this demand.
Churah MLA Hansraj had questioned the approval of the central government regarding the conversion of the Bhaderwah-Sanwal road into a national highway, but in response to this, PWD minister Vikramaditya Singh said that the road would not be approved.
He has informed that approval has been given to make Tharthari-Kahaljugasar-Kilohataran-Makkan-Chasul a national highway.
NHIDCL is Preparing DPR of the Route
A ten-kilometer road will be constructed outside the border of Jammu and Kashmir towards Himachal. This route has got in-principle approval and now the work of preparing its DPR is going on.
The National Highway Infrastructure Development Corporation is preparing the DPR for this route. With the construction of this route, the difficulties of pilgrims coming from Jammu and Kashmir during the Manimahesh Yatra will be eased. Along with this, the sequence of accidents will also stop.