Nitin Gadkari also said work is in full swing on the Rs 12,000 crore Chardham project
New Delhi:
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Monday that massive works were underway for the construction of highways and nearly 85% of the works had been completed on the Kailash Mansarovar road via Pithoragarh.
In addition, work is in full swing on the Chardham project resulting in a cost of around Rs 12,000 crore, said the Minister of Road Transport and Highways during an event by video conference.
“85 percent of the works on the Kailash Mansarovar via Pithoragarh road are completed. Once they are completed, I will take the prime minister to Mansarovar via Pithoragarh,” Gadkari said.
The Minister had recently commended the Border Roads Organization (BRO) for completing the road connectivity work from Dharchula to Lipulekh, known as the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra Road, which will facilitate the journey of pilgrims.
The newly constructed strategically crucial 80 km stretch connects the Lipulekh Pass at a height of 17,000 feet along the border with China in Uttarakhand with Dharchula.
With the completion of this project, the pilgrims of Kailash Mansarovar Yatra can avoid the arduous trek through treacherous altitude terrain and the travel period will be reduced by several days.
At present, the trip to Kailash Mansarovar takes about two to three weeks by roads from Sikkim or Nepal.
The Lipulekh route had a 90 km trek through high altitude terrain and the elderly yatris encountered a lot of difficulty. Now this yatra will be supplemented with vehicles.
The Darchula – Lipulekh road is an extension of the Pithoragarh-Tawaghat-Ghatiabagarh road. It originates from Ghatiabagarh and ends at Lipulekh Pass, the gateway to Kailash Mansarovar. On this 80 km road, the altitude drops from 6,000 feet to 17,060 feet.
Mr Gadkari also said that work is in full swing on the Rs 12,000 crore Chardham project which proposes to provide all-weather connectivity to Yamnotri, Gangotri, Badrinath and Kedarnath via 826 km highways.
Last month, to speed up the Chardham project, Gadkari urged Uttarakhand’s chief minister to speed up land acquisition and environmental permits for the crucial plan.
