Jammu: Authorities are preparing detailed project reports (DPRs) for 60 km of road works worth Rs 3,500 crore to strengthen infrastructure along the Amarnath Yatra route in Jammu and Kashmir, an official spokesman said on Tuesday.
The Amarnath road projects form part of a wider initiative to upgrade pilgrimage and tourism infrastructure in the Union Territory, the spokesman said.
He said the information was given at a meeting chaired by Union Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways Ajay Tamta here.
“DPRs are being prepared for 60 km of Amarnath Yatra road works worth Rs 3,500 crore. Besides, the Rs 880-crore Katra Intermodal Station will integrate rail, road and heli-services for devotees visiting Shri Mata Vaishno Devi,” the spokesman said.
Additionally, he said 54 ropeway proposals worth Rs 30,000 crore have been received, with eight projects worth Rs 16,000 crore to be taken up in the first phase at sites including 3,880-metre-high holy cave shrine of Amarnath, Shankaracharya Temple, Thajiwas Glacier, Bhadarwah, Sanasar and Doodhpathri.
The meeting was also informed that four high-speed corridors worth Rs 50,000 crore including Jammu-Udhampur-Srinagar, Jammu-Chenani-Anantnag, Srinagar-Baramulla-Uri and Jammu-Akhnoor are under construction.
“These will improve the access to the Kashmir Valley, Chenab Valley, Rajouri-Poonch, North Kashmir and key border areas, aiding the tourism, trade, and defence mobility,” the spokesman said.
He said the 670-km Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Greenfield Expressway, costing Rs 41,000 crore, will also strengthen the pilgrimage connectivity.
Within J&K, 143 km of the expressway worth Rs 11,500 crore is slated for completion by August 2027, reducing Delhi-Katra distance by 58 km, the spokesman said.
He said the meeting was also informed that the urban mobility is being addressed through ring roads.
The 104-km Srinagar Ring Road, costing Rs 7,200 crore, will divert traffic from the city and improve links to Baramulla, Kupwara, Bandipora, Gurez, Kargil, and Leh.
The 58-km Jammu Ring Road is nearing completion with 53 km already operational while DPR work is underway for the 33-km Eastern Jammu Ring Road, the spokesman said.
He said the next phase includes DPRs for 707 km of highways worth Rs 65,000 crore.
Key upcoming projects include 125-km Katra-Srinagar High-Speed Corridor, the Rafiabad-Kupwara-Tangdhar route with Sadhna Tunnel, the Surankote-Bufliaz-Doodhpathri-Magam corridor with Peer Ki Gali Tunnel, Samba-Mansar-Udhampur four-laning, Srinagar-Sonamarg-Gumri corridor and new service roads and underpasses on the Srinagar–Qazigund stretch, the spokesman said.
