Pathankot-Mandi road widening project awaits green signal

The 219-km strategic Pathankot-Mandi road widening project, linking Pathankot to Leh, has been delayed by over four years due to the lack of environment and forest clearances. Though the work on the first phase is going on, the remaining four phases are stuck due to the lack of forest clearance.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had met the Union Environment and Forest Minister and Union Surface Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari regarding the issue several times but no headway has been made.

Earlier, the NHAI had approved the construction of the first phase of the project between Pathankot (Kandwal) and 32 Miles in Kangra district after the Environment Ministry gave clearance in March 2022 before the Assembly elections. The work on the first phase is in progress. However, no headway has been made on the remaining four phases covering 185 km.

The state government has already released compensation to 90 per cent of the affected persons, between Pathankot and Palampur, for land acquisition. “Global bids for the second phase were floated by the NHAI last year. The construction work was awarded to a Gurugram-based company. As the construction is taking place on forest land also, the work can’t begin without a no-objection certificate from the Centre and the HP Government,” said an NHAI spokesman.

Vikas Surjewala, Project Director, NHAI, said the NHAI would focus on ensuring minimum cutting of hills, avoiding environmental degradation, avoiding inconvenience and dislocation of people residing along the highway. All formalities had already been completed by the state government and the NHAI while forest and environmental clearances were likely to be given soon, he added.