KISHTWAR: A new road along the right bank of Marusudar river has been proposed to provide alternative connectivity to several villages in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district, whose existing road link is likely to be affected by the Pakal Dul Hydroelectric Power Project, officials said on Tuesday.
Deputy Commissioner Kishtwar Pankaj Kumar Sharma chaired a meeting to review a proposal for construction of a road along the right bank of the Marusudar River to provide connectivity to the villages of Khraipakhnoo, Tunder and Prangus in Dachan tehsil.
The proposed road is being planned in view of the expected disruption of existing access routes following the completion of the Pakal Dul Hydroelectric Power Project (HEPP) reservoir.
Officials informed the meeting that the road project connecting Tunder and Prangus villages is proposed to be taken up under Phase IV of the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY).
The meeting reviewed the proposed alignment, technical feasibility and other implementation-related issues. Existing road connectivity and the requirements of the affected villages were also discussed.
The Deputy Commissioner directed officials to prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for an additional road stretch leading to Khraipakhnoo village and pursue approval of the already submitted DPR for the Lopara–Tunder–Prangus road during the current financial year.
Issues related to land acquisition, forest clearance, funding, road alignment and technical feasibility also came up for discussion.
Sharma stressed the need for coordinated efforts among the concerned departments to finalise proposals and submit the required reports in a time-bound manner. He said all aspects of the project should be examined to ensure a viable and sustainable connectivity plan for the affected villages.
The meeting was attended by Sub-Divisional Magistrate Marwah Dr Mohammad Ashraf, Head of Project Pakal Dul HEP Vishal Anand, Executive Engineer PMGSY Marwah Tilak Raj Rajwal and representatives of various departments.
