Better highways for Char Dham pilgrims by 2020

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 22

The state government has chalked out a plan to reconstruct and repair roads and highways along the Char Dham Yatra routes.

A detailed project report (DPR) has been finalised, focusing on widening of narrow and geometrically-deficient highways to two-lane carriageway, protection of landslide hazard zones, construction of bypass, bridges and tunnels along the yatra route. The project would cover Chamoli, Dehradun, Pauri, Uttarkashi and Rudraprayag districts of the Garhwal division of the state.

The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has sanctioned Rs 715 crore for road widening and construction of bridges under first phase of the project. A 750-metre flyover would be constructed at Sonprayag at an estimated cost of Rs 141 crore, double-lane road would be constructed for Rs 150 crore from Rudraprayag to Aguystmuni, while repairing of roads at Devprayag, Gulabghati, Helang, Govindghat, Nandprayag, Srinagar and other areas from Rishikesh to Badrinathwould cost Rs 270 crore.

The road connectivity would be improved on Rishikesh-Badrinath National Highway (NH 58) and Rishikesh-Kedarnath National Highway (NH 109) in the first phase. The other two highways, which include Rishikesh-Gangotri National Highway (NH 108) and Rishikesh-Yamunotri National Highway (NH 94), will be covered in the next phase. Directives have been issued to officials to get forest clearance to serve the purpose.

The 889-km long Char Dham road connectivity improvement will also entail the construction of 12 bridges, 60 small bridges and tunnels. The tender process has been initiated on approved works amounting to Rs 1,570 crore for four shrines with a target to complete the project by 2020.

Hariom Sharma, chief engineer of the National Highway Authority of India, said the widening and repairing of roads, construction of flyovers, tunnels and bridges would be completed in the stipulated time frame.

Similarly, Rs 2,053 crore and Rs 1,380 crore would be spent on 124-km long Dharasu-Gangotri road and 144-km Rishikesh-Dharsu road, respectively. The government would spend nearly Rs 1,246 crore on 95-km long Dharasu-Yamunotri road and Rs 988 crore on Rudraprayag-Gaurikund road (76 km).

Under the project, the longest of the three tunnels is three-km long at Raditop on the way to the Yamunotri temple. The second tunnel would be constructed near Chamba (Tehri) and the third tunnel at Datkali temple at the entry point of Dehradun district.