How is J&K's Road Network Surpassing 41,000 km and Enhancing Border Connectivity?
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
Jammu, Feb 5 (NationPress) Jammu and Kashmir is achieving remarkable progress in road connectivity, with the current road network reaching 41,141 km.
This extensive expansion of road infrastructure is fueled by multi-billion-rupee projects aimed at enhancing connectivity, particularly in remote and often hard-to-reach border regions such as Rajouri, Poonch, Bandipora, Kupwara, Reasi, and other isolated districts.
The primary goal of these road initiatives is to provide all-weather connectivity, minimize travel times, and bolster economic activities in these border districts.
In the border districts of Rajouri-Poonch, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) is currently working on the construction of the Bahri Pattan-Jhallas road in the Nowshera-Poonch sector, which is becoming a vital route for remote villages and a significant alternative to the Jammu-Rajouri-Poonch National Highway.
This road, covering approximately 213 km, is designed to improve internal connectivity in border regions while ensuring safer and quicker transit for civilians, tourists, and security personnel.
Officials have indicated that this project will be crucial in enhancing infrastructure in the frontline areas along the Line of Control (LoC).
Several key religious and tourist sites, including Baba Betamshah, Mangla Mata Temple, Veer Bhadreshwar Temple, and Pir Shahlakh Dargah, are being linked to Poonch by the BRO to promote border and rural tourism.
The improved connectivity is already creating job opportunities for locals, many of whom previously traveled long distances for daily wage work.
Moreover, transporting patients to hospitals or evacuating the injured during cross-border shelling was quite difficult in the past, but this new road network is expected to facilitate such movements, making them quicker and more affordable.
Villages like Jhangar, Sermakri, Bawani, Kalsian, and nearby areas, once considered remote and inaccessible, are now being connected through this expanding road network, instilling a sense of renewed hope for sustainable development, security, and prosperity.
The achievements in road connectivity are not confined to Rajouri and Poonch districts; they also extend to border areas like Bandipora and Kupwara in the Kashmir Valley.