Swan bridge to benefit HP, Punjab villages: Minister

Our Correspondent

Kangra, May 26

An inter-state bridge on the Swan river being constructed at a cost Rs 61.29 crore will benefit many villages of Punjab, besides villages in Una and Kangra districts of Himachal Pradesh. Lakhs of pilgrims visiting the Chintpurni temple will also be benefited, said Industries Minister Bikram Thakur here today.

He said that the bridge being constructed by the Public Works Department (PWD) was nearly half complete. He added that the 362-metre long bridge on the Kotla-Amroh road would link with the Punjab border. It would make Jaswan Paragpur and Chintpurni, besides more than 12 remote villages, easily accessible.

The minister said that the people of Talwara, Pathankot, Mukerian, Batala, Bhogpur, Kadian, and Shri Hargovindpur in Punjab and pilgrims from areas such as Dasuha and Hajipur would benefit from it.

Local people had been demanding the construction of the bridge for the last three decades. The 5-km stretch of the Kotla-Amroh road would also be widened and tarred.