Jammu bizmen flag concerns over Delhi-Katra expressway with Nitin Gadkari

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Jammu, January 4

A delegation of Chamber of Commerce & Industry (CCI), Jammu, led by its president Arun Gupta along with other members met Union Minister of Road, Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari at New Delhi and briefed him about the concerns regarding the proposed construction design of Katra-Delhi expressway.

The traders expressed concerns about the Kunjwani to Narwal section and Kunjwani to Satwari section of the expressway with the minister and submitted a memorandum. Senior BJP leader Davinder Singh Rana, who was in New Delhi, accompanied the delegation.

Arun Gupta drew the attention of the minister to the proposed construction design of the expressway flyover between Kunjwani to Narwal, which includes the implementation of blind walls. “While we acknowledge the importance of infrastructure development, we are concerned that the blind walls on both sides of the expressway may disrupt vital connections between shops, businesses, and residences,” Gupta said.

“In the era of advanced technologies, we question the adherence to old patterns, especially when modern infrastructure technicalities are readily available. The blind walls may not align with the current needs of the community and may cause inconvenience to residents, hinder emergency services, and impact the daily commute of pedestrians,” said Gupta.

He informed the minister that the land use of this area is mainly commercial. Varied types of commercial activities in the form of wholesale stores, hospitals, retail and small-scale services are carried out here.

“The project will impact nearly 500 commercial establishments, which include 365 shops, 10 vehicle showrooms, 37 godowns, 5 schools, 65 office spaces and others,” the traders said.

The delegation claimed that livelihood of 65 shopkeepers is in danger with the construction of proposed flyover from Kunjwani to Satwari section, upto the Government College for Women in Gandhi Nagar.

The delegation in a statement claimed that the minister talked to the chairman of NHAI telephonically regarding the issues discussed in the meeting. “He also assured that he will personally look into the issues and find out the solution,” the statement read.