Connectivity boost for Jammu & Kashmir! Nitin Gadkari to inaugurate first inter-state bridge today.

Keediyan-Gandiyal bridge: Huge inter-state connectivity boost for Jammu and Kashmir! Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari will inaugurate the first inter state bridge in Jammu and Kashmir. The 1.2 km long inter-state Keediyan- Gandiyal bridge on the Ravi river in the Kathua district of the state will be inaugurated today, i.e., January 22. Officials of the Ministry were quoted in a PTI report saying that the inter-state bridge has been built at a cost of around Rs 150 crore in a span of three and a half years. The landmark bridge will link the secluded areas of Kathua district with the state of Punjab.

Kathua’s southern border is bound by Punjab and Himachal Pradesh. Besides linking the secluded areas of the state to major cities, the bridge will strengthen the inter-state connectivity and will provide a boost to the social as well as economical development of the people living in the adjoining areas of the state, the report said. With the opening of the bridge and the connectivity that it will provide, the travel distance between the two inter-state destinations of Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab will be decreased. At the same time, the bridge will also reduce traffic on the Jammu-Kathua-Pathankot National Highway. Easing out traffic on the national highway will help in decongesting the area, hence making it easy for commuters to travel from one place to another, through the highway.

According to the report, Advisor to Governor Kewal Kumar Sharma had visited the bridge site recently and inspected the arrangements being made for the inaugural event. The inter-state bridge will be inaugurated by Gadkari in the same event. The public demand for the bridge had been pending for the last 60 years. With the final commissioning of the bridge, the 60-year pending demand for the bridge will be fulfilled. While conducting the inspection of the arrangements for the inaugural function, the Advisor encouraged the agencies to ensure that the necessary arrangements are put in place for a smooth and successful run of the event.

THE FINANCIAL EXPRESS