Nod to forest land diversion for Pathankot-Mandi road widening

Rajiv Mahajan

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Nurpur, MAY 8

Finally, the state government has got mandatory permission of the apex court for diversion of forest land for construction of much-awaited Pathankot-Mandi highway four-lane project for package-one from Kandwal to Sihuni in Nurpur section. This will pave the way for kick-starting construction of the proposed project in the forest land acquired by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) under the jurisdiction of Nurpur forest division.

Project has strategic importance

• The Pathankot- Mandi four lane project of the Government of India has strategic importance as it will link Pathankot with Leh, Ladakh and other forward areas.
• The project will reduce the distance between Pathankot and Mandi from 219 km to 171 km proving a boon for the tourism industry in the state.

Initially, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change had accorded its approval under the Forest Conservation Act (FCA)-1980 in principle in December 2021 and final approval on February 22 this year. After that, the state government had submitted the case to the Supreme Court for its mandatory FCA permission on March 22.

According to RK Gupta, nodal officer FCA- cum- Additional Chief Conservator Forest, the apex court’s permission has been obtained last week and now the state government has to accord formal approval to the NHAI for diversion of 50.98 hectares of forest land for widening of Pathankot-Mandi National Highway -154 from Kandwal to Sihuni comprising 37-km design length.

As per official information, the NHAI has acquired private and government land in 40 revenue upmohals of Nurpur tehsil in which 27 upmohals comprising forest land that has to be used for the NH-154 widening project. Intriguingly, the executing agency of the NHAI had completed earth cutting in the forest land for tracing a new alignment of the proposed Pathankot- Mandi four lane project under the jurisdiction of the Nurpur forest division from Bodh to Bherkhud in Nurpur before obtaining mandatory FCA permission of the apex court.

The Pathankot- Mandi four lane project of the Government of India has strategic importance as it will link Pathankot with Leh, Ladakh and other forward areas. However, its construction could not be initiated even in the package one from Kandwal to Sihuni in Nurpur section during the past five years after its foundation stone was laid by the Union Road and Surface Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari in 2017 in Kangra.

The NHAI had issued notification in March 2018 for the land acquisition under clause (D) of the National Highway Act-1956. The project will reduce the distance between Pathankot and Mandi from 219 km to 171 km proving a boon for the tourism industry in the state. The NHAI, through global bids, has awarded construction works of the package first from Kandwal to Sehuni (from Kandwal to Mao and Mao to Sihuni) to two construction companies for Rs 1357 crore.