STATE TIMES NEWS
Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra has requested Union Minister Nitin Gadkari to declare Mughal Road as a national highway as it would provide a reliable all weather alternative route to link Jammu with Srinagar.
“Governor N N Vohra has written a letter to Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari and requested him to declare the Mughal Road as a National Highway and approve construction of an 8 km Chattapani-Zaznar tunnel to make this an all-weather link,” an official spokesperson said on Sunday.
Vohra in his letter said the road has several avalanche-prone locations near Pir-Ki-Gali and a considerable portion of it remains under snow during winter, rendering it inoperable from late November to end April.
The Governor also praised the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways for its “excellent initiative” of declaring Jammu-Akhnoor-Poonch (NH-144A) and Srinagar-Shopian-Qazigund (NH-444) roads as new National Highways.
The declaration of Mughal Road as a National Highway and construction of the tunnel would provide a reliable all weather alternative route to link Jammu with Srinagar via the Rajouri-Shopian axis, he said.
The Government of India has assisted the state under Prime Minister’s Reconstruction Plan (PMRP) in constructing the 84.10 km long Mughal Road which provides connectivity across the Pir Panjal range, linking Shopian (in Kashmir Division) with Bafliaz (in Jammu division).
The construction of this road has reduced the distance from Poonch to Srinagar by over 300 kms and also contributed to easing heavy traffic on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway (NH-44).
