Himachal gets three national highways

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SME Times News Bureau | 18 Apr, 2015
Union Health and Family Welfare Minister J.P. Nadda on Friday announced three national highways -- Theog-Kotkhai-Jubbal-Hatkoti, Una-Badsar-Bhota and Kumharhatti-Sarahan-Nahan -- for Himachal Pradesh.

Nadda was here on behalf of Union Minister for Surface Transport Nitin Gadkari for a meeting on national highways and the Central Road Fund. State Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh was also present at the meeting.

"I am here as a part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's concept of Team India, wherein he wants the centre and the state to work together so that things come out of files and move on the ground," he told reporters.

Nadda said on the demand of the state government, a central team would revisit the Hindustan-Tibet road, first laid by the British in the 19th century to connect with Tibet for trade through the Shipki-La border post on the India-China border, as an alternate to National Highway 22.

"The ministry officials say that there is not much feasibility for that. But we will certainly have a fresh look and revisit it," he said.

Nadda said the state government wanted that from the maintenance point of view the hill states should be compensated on different grounds in keeping with the geographical constraints.

"This issue is not related to the surface transport ministry, but I have asked the state government to make a note on this and will definitely pursue it with the centre," he said.

He said it was discussed at the meeting that the condition of National Highway 21 (from Kiratpur in Punjab to the picturesque tourist resort of Manali), which is presently in poor condition, would be reconstructed at a cost of Rs.39.95 crore.

"The ministry has given in-principle approval for this," he said.

Nadda, who is from the state, said the centre would give priority to the 80 km-long Shalaghat-Ramshahar-Nalagarh industrial corridor and the budget for it would be sanctioned this year itself.