Srinagar: Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari is scheduled to chair a high-level meeting here on Monday to review the progress of various developmental projects in Jammu & Kashmir, officials said on Sunday.
Among the matters to be discussed will be Amarnath Yatra track and Jammu-Srinagar National Highway to ensure smooth Yatra to the holy cave shrine starting on June 29 and ending on August 19 after 52 days. This is going to be Nitin Gadkari’s first meeting in J&K after taking the charge of Road Transport and Highways Ministry at the Centre after the Lok Sabha polls.
Various strategically important developmental projects including Zojila tunnel are under construction in the UT of Ladakh. Once operationalised, this tunnel will link Ladakh by road with J&K and the rest of the country throughout the year as the highway at present remains closed during winter months. The project on the priority list of the Central government is the construction of highway on Amarnath Yatra track from both Baltal and Pahalgam base camps.
Already the widening of the Yatra track and covering the surface with blocks besides attending to curves and slopes has been done by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO). The maintenance of the Ramban-Banihal stretch of Jammu-Srinagar highway is another agenda point for Gadkari’s review meeting because this stretch of Jammu-Srinagar national highway has to remain transport worthy for the Yatris to reach into the Valley.
There are developmental projects worth more than Rs one lakh crore under execution in J&K and all of these are likely to come up for review during the meeting. J&K Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, Union MoS (PMO) Dr Jitendra Singh will attend the meeting while Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, along with officers directly dealing with these developmental projects, will present a detailed progress report during the review meeting. –IANS sq/kvd
