Union Minister of State for Surface Transport

Bijender Sharma
JAWALAMUKHI--The Union Minister of State for Surface Transport and National Highways Mahadeo Singh Khandela along with his wife today visited the famous shrine of Jawalamukhi in kangra district of Himachal Pardesh. Khandela arrived at Hotel Jawala Jee of State tourism Development Corporation and drove to Jawalamukhi Temple. During his 35-minute stay the Union Minister offered prayers to the deity and performed Havan along with his wife. He was received at the temple by the Senior Congress Leader Nardev Kanwar, Newly elected President of Nagar panchayat Anil Parbha, Vice President Anish Sood and othe Congress Leaders of area.
During the intraction with the Media Khandela has said many projects, approved for states by the Union Government, are being delayed due to non-issuance of No-Objection Certificates (NOCs).The state governments are not efficient in getting approvals from their own Departments of Forests and Power that has delayed many national highway projects, he said.
The minister, however, did not have any precise information regarding the national highways or other projects being delayed due to non-issuance of NOCs in Himachal.
When asked to give names of the projects that are being delayed, the minister could name just one, Amritsar-Pathankot road, in Punjab. He said the Punjab government was not issuing NOC for widening of the Amritsar-Pathankot national highway that was delaying the project inordinately. He could not remember any project in Himachal that was being delayed due to NOC.
Giving details of various project sanctioned in the state in the current financial year, Khandela said five new national highways had been approved for the state. These include Hamirpur-Palampur-Sujjanpur road, Brahpukhar-Bilaspur-Ghuwarwin-Baijnath road, Bharmour-Chamba-Dalhousie-Pathankot road, Tara Devi-Jubalhati-Kunihar-Ramshehar-Nalagarh road and Chandigarh-Nalagarh-Ramshehar road.
Six bypasses to major towns of the state, including Hamirpur, Palampur, Jogindernagar, Manali, Theog and Kufri have also been sanctioned, the minister said.
He also said the detailed project report for widening and strengthening of Kiratpur Sahib-Manali National Highway had been prepared. The project was likely to be financed by the World Bank.
The fourlaning of the Chandigarh-Shimla national highway was being carried out in three phases. In the first phase, road from Zirakpur to Parwanoo was being widened. In the second phase, 40-km stretch from Parwanoo to Shimla would be widened while in the third phase, 60-km stretch from Solan to Shimla would be taken up, Khandela said.