Kiratpur-Nerchowk stretch on Manali national highway thrown open

Mandi, March 11

The Kiratpur-Nerchowk road stretch on the Kiratpur-Manali highway was inaugurated today by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Gurugram, Haryana. With its formal inauguration, the tourism stakeholders of Mandi, Kullu and Lahaul and Spiti are delighted.

Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur thanked the Prime Minister for inaugurating this ambitious project. The Prime Minister today laid the foundation stones or inaugurated 114 national highways projects costing more than Rs 1 lakh crore from Gurugram, Haryana. Out of these 114 projects, five projects costing Rs 7,013 crore and 120-km length pertain to Himachal Pradesh.

The general public was eagerly waiting for the inauguration as five tunnels on the route have reduced the travelling time by 2.5 hour and distance by 37 km. People will enjoy hassle-free travel, while buses fares have also been reduced.

NHAI authorities said the road upgrade will reduce vehicular pollution.

The foundation stone of the construction of two-lane Hamirpur bypass on NH – 103 and the Shimla-Mataur corridor were also laid.

“The works on these and other projects are going on with full speed and expected to be completed by 2026. The construction of Hamirpur bypass will de-congest Hamirpur. Similarly, the road project from Sihuni to Rajol and Thanpuri to Parour will form part of strategically important Pathankot-Mandi NH. It will improve tourism in Dharamsala and Palampur and provide better connectivity to famous religious places of Chamunda Devi, Brajeshwari Temple, Baijnath Temple and Jawalamukhi Temple,” he added.

The Prime Minister, in his address, emphasized on the role of good infrastructure in nation building and creation of jobs and employment. The PM said that he want to see India as a developed nation by 2047.