Chandigarh-Manali NH 21 to be made into four lanes

The Chandigarh-Mandi-Manali National Highway will soon be upgraded to four lane, Himachal Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh has announced. Singh, who announced the decision while presiding over the review meeting of Public Works Department (PWD), said that National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) will undertake the construction work in the NH 21.

The Chief Minister said that the body will post a dedicated revenue officer to speed up the land acquisition process for the project. A revenue officer would also be posted to gear up the land acquisition process for Shimla-Kalka four lane project, Singh added. The first phase would include the construction work on 118 km from Garamaura to Nerchowk.

To reduce the travelling time, NHAI will construct a tunnel near Swargha, thus reducing the distance by about 35 kms from Kiratpur to Nerchowk and by about 60 kms upto Kullu. He claimed that the state government would prepare pre-feasibility report for Chamunda-Holi Tunnel which would decrease the distance of Chamba by approximately 200 kms.

He directed the department to provide road connectivity to all the remote and far-flung Pandrah- Beesh areas of Rampur, Anni and Kinnaur, which had remained neglected so far.