Union Science and Technology Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, announced that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari have accepted his request to propose construction of a new two-lane tube tunnel parallel to the existing Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee Tunnel on the Chenani-Nashri route along National Highway 44 in Jammu and Kashmir.

Context

Dr. Jitendra Singh, who represents the Udhampur Lok Sabha constituency, framed the development as 'another good news for Udhampur.' He credited NHAI and Minister Gadkari for accepting the request and moving to propose the parallel tunnel to ease growing traffic pressure on the Chenani-Nashri section of NH-44.

The minister recalled that the existing Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee Tunnel — a 9.2-km all-weather road tunnel — was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 2, 2017, cutting travel time between Jammu and Srinagar by roughly two hours and offering a safer alternative to the snow-prone Jawahar Tunnel route.

Policy Backdrop

The original Chenani-Nashri tunnel was sanctioned under the National Highways Development Project (NHDP) Phase III in the mid-2000s as part of a long-term push to guarantee year-round connectivity to the Kashmir Valley and Ladakh. The NH-44 corridor, stretching over 400 km from Jammu to Srinagar, is the primary strategic artery linking the Union Territory to the rest of India.

The parallel-tube approach is increasingly favoured on high-traffic mountain highways to manage rising vehicle volumes and to ensure operational redundancy when one tube requires maintenance or faces an emergency closure. The proposal is consistent with ongoing corridor upgrades being pursued under Bharatmala Pariyojana and residual NHDP phases.

Stakeholders and Impact

Commuters, freight operators, and the defence and logistics ecosystem that depends on NH-44 stand to benefit most directly. Udhampur district residents, whose connectivity to both Jammu and the Valley runs through this corridor, are among the immediate stakeholders flagged by Dr. Singh in his announcement.

A parallel tube would also provide a critical safety buffer: single-tube tunnels of this length require periodic closures for maintenance, during which all traffic must revert to the older, weather-vulnerable mountain road. A second bore would eliminate that vulnerability and reduce the risk of prolonged blockages during extreme weather or accidents.

What's Next

The proposal stage will be followed by NHAI preparing a detailed project report, including alignment studies and land acquisition notifications. The project's inclusion in Parliament's annual highway construction targets — a key metric for the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways — will be closely watched by infrastructure observers and J&K stakeholders alike.

If the proposal moves through approvals swiftly, the new parallel tube on the Chenani-Nashri section could significantly future-proof one of India's most strategically sensitive highway corridors for decades to come.