Atal Setu opened to ease traffic flow

Tribune News Service

Jammu, September 8

Atal Setu — the second entry corridor into the J&K UT— was opened this morning after a gap of nearly six months to ease pressure on Lakhanpur — the gateway of the UT.

Earlier, the entry of people into J&K was allowed only through Lakhanpur due to Covid restrictions, now, the movement will also be allowed through the Atal Setu with Covid protocol to check the spread of the virus.

“We have devised a mechanism to check the spread of the virus. The movement of the people on this bridge will be properly regulated as per the Covid guidelines’’, Tilak Raj, SDM, Basholi, said and added that this bridge had been thrown open for vehicular traffic on the pressing demand of the people who were facing hardship for the past nearly six months.

Atal Setu was closed for vehicular movement on March 25 after the outbreak of the pandemic as large numbers of people were ‘sneaking’ into J&K through this point after screening was started at Lakhanpur.

The decision of opening Atal Setu has been taken as per guidelines under Unlock 4-0. This bridge connects the Basholi subdivision of Kathua with Dunera (Pathankot) of Punjab.

“Now, the Atal Setu is open. The same protocol of the Lakhanpur corridor will be followed. This is the second road entry to open for the UT after the lockdown”, Shailendra Mishra, SSP, Kathua, tweeted.

With the opening of this bridge, inhabitants of the mountainous belt of Kathua namely Billawar, Basholi and Bani can easily travel to Punjab and other parts of the country. Furthermore, it will solve the problems of patients of this belt who have been finding it difficult to go to Punjab and other areas for medical emergencies.

Meanwhile, the J&K Government has evacuated about 4,11,803 of its residents, stranded in other parts of the country due to the lockdown, via Lakhanpur and through special trains and buses.