Jammu, July 16: Senior BJP leader Satish Sharma and party’s spokesperson R S Pathania on Sunday voiced the concern for four-laning of Dhar road right from Mahanpur up to Udhampur.
They said the road had been constructed almost six to seven decades ago which has acted as the viable lifeline for the people of the area. “Given the routine traffic as well as the acting as a supply line for military operations up to Kashmir, the present status of the road requires to be four-laned,” they said in a joint statement.
“Roads are arteries of a civilised society. It is in this context that a joint meeting of respectable members, as well as panches/sarpanches of Kathua and Udhampur district, was convened at Village Khoon of Tehsil Majalta,” the statement said.
Satish Sharma expressed concerns over the shifting of the alignment of the Amritsar-Katra expressway from this axis to the Jammu-Pathankot axis which involves greater compensation to the land owners as well as the houses and shops. “More so, the expressway is again at a stone’s throw from the Indo-Pak border which lessens its probability and feasibility,” he said.
Pathania emphasised that the Dhar road axis involves lesser environmental hazards. It also acts as a viable tourism axis to the popular shrines of Sri Balasundri Mata, Sri Sukrala Devi Temple, Sri Narsingh Temple Jansal, Sri Chountra Mata, Sri Pingla Mata, Sri Bagge Wali Mata, he said, adding that the proposed four-lane can facilitate nurturing pilgrimage circuit in the area too.
Pathania further said that increased traffic on this road necessitates a viable four lane wherefrom the tourists and pilgrims from across the country could use this highway and reach up to the holy shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi as well as the picturesque valley of Kashmir and Kud Patnitop, Chenani, Dudu areas.
Others who spoke on the occasion included Romesh Chander Gupta, Mohan Lal Sharma Mandal Pardhan, Abhay Khajuria BDC Chairman, Namrata Bali, Ved Pal Sharma, Subash Chander, Bikram Singh, Nimrata Bali, Prikshit and others.
