Work in full swing on road stretch under Mandi project

With the onset of summers, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has geared up work on the 18.3-km stretch between Thanpuri and Paror under the Pathankot-Mandi four-lane project. The NHAI has dismantled most of the buildings and axed trees on the acquired stretch of the highway. Over 50 JCB machines and tippers are working on the road stretch round the clock.

A five-km bypass is being constructed in Nagrota Bagwan to avoid displacement of market and human settlements. Besides, a half-km flyover is under construction at Malan over the Pathankot-Joginder Nagar rail line. Concrete pillars of the bypass have already been laid by the NHAI.

The Pathankot-Mandi highway is a strategic road project that will connect Pathankot to Leh and other forward areas of Jammu and Kashmir.

A senior NHAI officer said the construction work had been going on as per schedule. He said besides execution of highways, the NHAI had also taken up the construction of culverts, small bridges, bypasses and flyovers besides widening of the 18.3-km stretch.

The NHAI had already paid compensation to the affected parties for buildings and land acquisition and had taken possession of the land.