Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari and Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha laid the foundation stone for four national highway projects in J&K worth Rs 3,612 crore, including the Srinagar Ring Road project. Speaking at the event, Gadkari described road connectivity as a key driver of any region's socio-economic growth and development. The new projects will improve road connectivity in Jammu and Kashmir, opening up new opportunities for people to make a living. It will also improve tourism and business activities, as well as people's overall quality of life. Gadkari informed that the Mega Highway road and projects of the tunnel will cut the time it takes to travel from Delhi to Kashmir to eight hours in the coming years. He also advocated for the implementation of environmentally friendly transportation policies. Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha of Jammu and Kashmir informed that the UT has seen tremendous changes in terms of infrastructure development in recent years and that the new projects will help to drive overall socio-economic development. The LG also said that Kashmir will be connected to Kanyakumari by train by December 2022. The four new National Highway projects include strengthening and upgrading a 43 km existing carriageway on the NH-701A Baramulla-Gulmarg section, construction of a new double-lane bypass from Donipawa via Ashajipora connecting NH-244 and NH-44, and construction and upgradation of an existing 28 km stretch on the NH-244 Khellani Khanabal section from Vailoo to Donipawa, as well as the much-anticipated. The foundation stone was also laid by General (Retd) VK Singh, Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways, and J&K MP Dr Farooq Abdullah. Image SourceAlso read: 76 national highway projects of about Rs 62k cr face inordinate delays