Jammu/Gurez,July 24:The Centre will construct a 9 km-long tunnel on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway to improve the connectivity of several villages with the only road-link to Kashmir Valley.
The construction of Chenani-Nashri Tunnel, longest in the route, in Udhampur district is expected to cost around Rs 2,519 crore and will be completed in five years.
The foundation stone of the 2-lane tunnel will be laid tomorrow by the Union Road and Transport Minister C P Joshi. The work on the four laning of the national highway will also begin tomorrow, officials said in Jammu.
“In order improve connectivity between Jammu and Srinagar along with other sections of the Valley, the highway will have a 9-km tunnel to reduce the distance and travel time,” an official said. 2.5 km-long Jawahar tunnel, between Banihal and Qazigund, is currently the longest tunnel on the highway.
Meanwhile, inaugurating a tourism festival in Gurez, 120 km north of Srinagar, Omar Abdullah today said he would take up with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh the construction of tunnels to link far flung and hilly areas with the mainland.
“We will take up the issue of boring of various tunnels with Prime Minister as accessibility is pre-requisite for development of hilly and remote areas of the state (which usually remain cut off due to heavy snowfall during winter),” he said.
“Construction of tunnels and dependable road connectivity is essentially important to help link up backward areas with main highways and ensure integrated development and generation of economic activities in these areas,” he said.
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