Gadkari assures all help for tunnel to Sangla valley

SHIMLA: The proposal to construct an alternative route through a tunnel from Chirgaon to Sangla in Kinnaur district in the sensitive China border has gained momentum as Minister for Surface Transport and National Highways Nitin Gadkari has assured the state that he will get the matter examined.

Kuldeep Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, December 19

The proposal to construct an alternative route through a tunnel from Chirgaon to Sangla in Kinnaur district in the sensitive China border has gained momentum as Minister for Surface Transport and National Highways Nitin Gadkari has assured the state that he will get the matter examined.

Chief Parliamentary Secretary Rohit Thakur has also written to the Defence Ministry to conduct the survey for the Ambala-Paonta Sahib-Tiuni-Rohru route, which would cut the distance by 67 km near the China border.

“The Shimla-Narkanda-Kaurik National Highway-22 faces blockades at Urni as the entire Tapri-Wangtoo zone on this stretch of the highway has turned into a sliding zone, blocking smooth flow of traffic and supplies of the Army to the Indo-China border many times every year,” Thakur said, in his letter to the Union Ministries and the BRO.

The highway is maintained by the PWD till Powari, while BRO oversees it from Powari till Kaurik near China border.

“Another problem is that the Parechu river flood from across the Chinese territory remains a constant threat downstream along the NH-22 that runs along the Sutlej river from Sainj in Shimla district to Samdoh at the Spiti-Kinnaur border,” said Rohit Thakur.

“Once the tunnel is constructed this route will cut the distance by 67 km and will provide a safe, all-weather connectivity to the China border,” he said.

“Another advantage of this strategic route is that the Army supplies can be routed not only through the Ambala-Paonta-Rohru route, but also from the present Shimla-Rohru route as well,” Thakur said.

This would facilitate transport of apple from Shimla and Kinnaur districts and essential supplies and the movement of troops to the Border, where China had learnt to have strengthened its road network, he said.

The Defence Ministry and BRO have not responded to Thakur’s letter written in August, but Gadkari in his letter to Thakur has assured him that he would get the matter examined.