Kiratpur-Nerchowk road to be completed by December

Dipender Manta

Mandi, March 23

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has tweeted that the 48-km stretch of the Kiratpur-Nerchowk road will be completed by December.

Gadkari wrote: “The ongoing work on the 48-km Kiratpur-Nerchowk four-lane project, connecting Manali through five tunnels and 22 bridges over the Sutlej, is scheduled to be completed by December.”

“This project will reduce the journey time between Kiratpur and Kullu by up to four hours. This will boost tourism and bring prosperity to people. Under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi, the construction of roads is the top priority of our government,” he wrote.

The tardy work on this road project was a big jolt to the tourism industry of Kullu-Manali. This road project awarded to the NHAI in 2012 could not be completed due to the slow pace of construction work.

The tourism stakeholders of Kullu-Manali and Mandi are awaiting desperately for the completion of the project, which will give impetus to the tourism industry. Delegations of hoteliers and local residents had met Gadkari during his visit to Himachal in the past and requested him to direct the NHAI to complete the construction work of the road project at the earliest.

Now, with the Union minister’s assurance, the hoteliers of Kullu-Manali and Mandi are expecting that the construction work on the road project will gather pace and will be completed shortly.