Delhi to Srinagar road travel to take just 8 hrs soon, says Nitin Gadkari

Road travel from Delhi to Srinagar will take just eight hours in future after the completion of several infrastructure projects being carried out in Jammu and Kashmir, according to the Union Minister for Road, Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari. 

The minister said that the government was taking up many important infrastructure projects in Jammu and Kashmir that will improve connectivity in the region. 

Gadkari made these remarks while speaking at an event organised at the India International Centre in Delhi on Tuesday. The event was organised to felicitate the actors and director of 'The Kashmir Files' movie. 

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 "We are constructing Asia's longest tunnel at Zozila between Kashmir and Ladakh. The Atal Tunnel on the Leh-Manali route has already reduced the travel time. The work on the Srinagar-Katra-Delhi expressway is also in progress and in future people will be able to reach Delhi from Srinagar in just eight hours," Gadkari said, PTI reported. 

The minister added that more people will visit Kashmir if there is good infrastructure there. 

Gadkari inaugurated five national highway (NH) projects on April 4- having a road length of 297km and a completion cost of Rs 2,872 crore - in Haryana's Sonipat. 

According to an official statement, Gadkari inaugurated Jind-Gohana NH-352A built at a cost of Rs 132 crore, Bhiwani-Mundhal-Jind NH-709A at Rs 183 crore, Jhajjar-Loharu NH-334B at Rs 136.25 crore, UP/Haryana border to Gohana NH-334B at Rs 1,020 crore, and Mukarba Chowk to Panipat NH-44 constructed at a cost of Rs 1,400 crore.

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Asserting that better road network is key to development, he stated that the BJP-led government at the Centre has been taking steps to improve road connectivity across the country. 

Gadkari said that the road network is getting strengthened rapidly which is also helping generate new avenues of employment. 
 
"Better road network is key to development," he added.