Funds approved for treatment betterment of roads in Pithoragarh, Champawat
Funds approved for treatment betterment of roads in Pithoragarh, Champawat
B.D. Kasniyal
Pithoragarh, Oct 3
Union Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways Ajay Tamta today announced several projects and funds for the repair, strengthening and upgradation of NH-9 from Tanakpur to Pithoragarh, aimed at ensuring smoother and year-round connectivity along the strategically important Chardham route.
The highway has witnessed repeated disruptions during the monsoon this year due to landslides at several locations.
“We have approved Rs 33 crore for slope treatment at Ghat Bend, which was severely affected by landslides during the monsoon,” the minister said while reviewing the condition of roads and highways in this border region.
Tamta said the government had also approved Rs 25 crore for strengthening the road at Kot Amori in Champawat district and Rs 33.15 crore for slope treatment at Delhi Bend in the Pithoragarh section, another sensitive location that witnessed landslides during the monsoon.
Describing NH-9 as a vital border road and the lifeline of Pithoragarh and Champawat districts, Tamta said Rs 100 crore had been approved for construction of a proposed bypass in the Champawat section. He added that his ministry had directed officials to prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for a Lohaghat bypass.
“We have also identified six landslide-prone stretches on the Pithoragarh-Yawaghat road and approved Rs 422 crore for their treatment,” he said.
The minister further announced that the Jaujlibi-Bangapani stretch of the Pithoragarh-Yawaghat highway would soon be upgraded to a two-lane road, with Rs 587 crore having been sanctioned for the project.
“Our government, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is committed to providing smooth and reliable transportation facilities to people living in remote border areas such as this part of Uttarakhand,” Tamta said.
