Kashmir-Kanyakumari to be connected via train by December 2022

Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha has announced that Kanyakumari will be connected to Kashmir through train by December 2022. After laying the foundation stone for four national highway projects worth 3,612 crore in Jammu and Kashmir, including the Srinagar Ring Road project, Sinha made the announcement. Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari was also present at the event on Monday evening. The projects include the strengthening and upgrading of 43 km of an existing carriageway on National Highway-701A between Baramulla and Gulmarg; the construction of a new double lane bypass connecting NH-244 and NH-44 from Donipawa via Ashajipora; and the construction and upgrade of a 28 km stretch on the Khellani-Khanabal section of NH-244 between Vailoo and Donipawa, as well as the much-anticipated NH. From national highways to rural roads, the lieutenant governor informed that the state's infrastructure had never been stronger. The lieutenant governor said that Jammu and Kashmir is now the country's third-largest road-building state. Sinha told the media that 11 tunnel projects for Jammu and Kashmir have been approved in just one year thanks to generous funding and the Prime Minister and Minister for Road Transport and Highways' special interest in the development of the state. Gadkari said that Road connectivity is a key driver of any region's socio-economic growth and development. The new projects will improve road connectivity in J&K, providing new livelihood opportunities for the local population, as well as enhancing tourism and business activities and improving people's quality of life. The minister said that the long-awaited Srinagar Ring Road project will be completed by the end of 2023. In three years, the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway will be completed. Image SourceAlso read: Hyderabad-Mumbai high speed rail project picks up momentum