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| GOI sanctions Rs 650 Cr Sangpora-Viloo tunnel | | For all weather connectivity, alternative route to Amarnath Yatra | | Asif Iqbal Naik
Early Times Report
Jammu, Mar 4: In a significant development to boast inter- state connectivity and to provide all weather connectivity to Srinagar, and an alternative route to Amarnath Yatra; the Government of India finally accorded sanction to prestigious Rs. 650 Crore Sangpora- Viloo tunnel project.
As per the details available with Early Times, Minister of Roads and Surface Transport Nitin Jairam Gadkari finally accorded sanction for construction of Sangpora-Viloo tunnel which connects Kishtwar District of Jammu province with Anantnag District of Kashmir through approximately 5 KM long left and right tunnel and will shorten a distance of around 65 KM between Kishtwar and Srinagar.
The tunnel will also provide respite to travelers to traverse through treacherous Sinthan pass top situated at the height of 12500 ft above the sea level. Present Jammu-Srinagar National Highway remains closed most part of the year due to snow and rainfall. While talking to Early Times, Minister of State for Roads and Building Sunil Kumar Sharma said that the ambitious tunnel project was accorded sanction due to hard perusal of Member Parliament and Union Minister in Prime Minister Office Dr. Jatindra Singh, adding that the tunnel will not only provide alternative connectivity to Kashmir valley, but will also boast socio-economic condition of the area.
He said that the new government in Jammu and Kashmir has come into power to usher the era of new development in the state of Jammu and Kashmir that has witnessed turmoil in past due to militancy and lack of proper government.
He said that many precious ambitious projects for Jammu and Kashmir are under process before the Government of India, added that state government will follow these projects till the end so that the common people of the state could get maximum benefits from them. He expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Narindra Modi, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and Dr. Jatindra Singh for according sanction to Sangpora-Viloo tunnel which is the long pending demand of the local people of Kishtwar and Anantnag District.
He said that Bonda-Chenger Tunnel project which will provide connectivity to unconnected areas of Marwah and Warwan havging population of over 40000 souls will also be taken into hand, added that he had already raise the issue with Dr. Jatindra Singh. He said that shortly a team of officials will be constituted to look into the feasibility of construction of the said tunnel.
He said that in case the feasibility report favours the construction of the tunnel, same will be taken up with the union government for early sanction. It is pertinent to mention that the project was first prepared during PDP- Congress government lead by current Chief Mufti Mohammad Syed and at initial stage the then government of Mufti Syed decided to construct the tunnel through J&K Bank and even the modalities were discussed with the then Chairman JK Bank Haseeb Drabu (Now finance Minister), but once the new government assumed the office, the project was shelved after Haseeb Drabu left the post of JK Bank chairman. After delay of few years, MLA Inderwal Ghulam Mohammad Saroori again raised the issue with UPA government in 2007.
The project was persued by Saroori in 2010 when he became the R&B Minister in Omar Abdullah government forcing the UPA government to constitute a team of BRO officials for preparing the feasibility report of the tunnel which was later submitted to government of India in 2012 and on the basis of BRO feasibility report, Roads and Surface Transport Ministry finally accorded sanction to this ambitious project on Tuesday.
With the construction of Sangpora-Viloo tunnel, the neighboring Himachal Pradesh state will also get shortest road connectivity to Kashmir through Pangi-Gulabgard-Kishtwar-Sangpoar-Viloo road which not only boost the tourism, but will also explore trade. |
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