Tunnel to ease woes in Doda, Kishtwar districts

Tribune News Service

Jammu, July 14

Boring for India’s longest road tunnel was completed yesterday with the ‘final blasting’ conducted in the presence of Union Surface Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari. The tunnel will be of help to commuters on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway and people of the twin districts of Doda and Kishtwar as well.

The tunnel is expected to be completed and commissioned by May 2016. It will reduce the length of the 286-km Jammu-Srinagar national highway by 31 km. Commuters will get relief from long traffic jams on the Chenani-Kud-Patnitop-Batote-Nashri stretch of the national highway.

This route is being used by people of twin districts of Doda and Kishtwar as well. After commissioning of the tunnel, their journey will be reduced by 25 km. They will have to traverse a six-km stretch from Nashri to Batote to join the Batote-Kishtwar national highway.

“We have been waiting for this tunnel more eagerly than people of the Kashmir valley. The Chenani-Nashri tunnel will be beneficial to people of Doda and Kishtwar districts and Batote tehsil of Ramban district,” said Firdous Ahmed, a driver from Doda, who had been travelling on this highway for the last 20 years.

“Our journey will be shorter and comfortable. We have suffered traffic jam nightmares on the highway all these years and the situation continues to remain the same. We hope that the day is not far when we get smooth traffic,” he added.

People of the two districts want the Centre and the state governments to include the Batote-Kishtwar national highway project in the north-south corridor project so that condition of the road is improved.

“Our area supports the state and the Centre economically and have not got much in return. We have been suffering due to construction of water reservoirs for hydroelectric projects and roads become the first casualty,” said Krishan Lal, a businessman of Bhaderwah. He had been ferrying goods from Jammu to Bhaderwah through this highway.

“It is the need of the hour that both the Centre as well as the state government start thinking about the welfare of people of Doda and Kishtwar districts,” he said. With construction of the Chenani-Nashri tunnel, half the problem would be over and vehicles would not be stuck at one place in traffic jams for days together, he added.