Kashmir Impulse Desk
Srinagar, Aug 29
Improved road connectivity in Jammu and Kashmir’s remote and hilly areas will strengthen both development and security operations, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said on Saturday as 110 road projects were launched under the latest phase of the rural roads programme.
Singh said better roads in difficult terrain would allow security forces to move more quickly into areas that had previously posed operational challenges and were vulnerable to militant movement.
He also invited J&K Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary to meet Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari in New Delhi to discuss issues related to the Central Road and Infrastructure Fund.
The 110 projects under PMGSY-IV, batch-I of 2026-27, cover 598.455 km and have a sanctioned cost of Rs 1,503.53 crore.
The projects span Kathua, Udhampur, Ramban, Doda and Kishtwar districts and are expected to benefit 46,972 people.
Kathua has 24 projects covering 128.925 km at a cost of about Rs 307.12 crore.
Udhampur accounts for 44 projects covering 235.040 km at about Rs 554.90 crore. Ramban has 13 projects covering 60.360 km at Rs 154.97 crore, while Doda has 13 projects covering 90.180 km at Rs 260.66 crore.
Kishtwar has 16 projects covering 83.950 km at an estimated cost of Rs 224.88 crore.
A number of the projects incorporate waste plastic into road construction, according to the project statement.
Singh said the expansion of all-weather roads was improving access to schools, healthcare, markets and employment for communities in remote areas.
He said Udhampur had consistently ranked among the country’s top three districts for PMGSY projects and thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for prioritising the constituency over the past 12 years.
Singh said about Rs 1,524 crore had been earmarked for the Udhampur-Kathua-Doda constituency from J&K’s Rs 3,566 crore PMGSY allocation.
Choudhary said the government would ensure development reached all parts of J&K and called for contractors to maintain prescribed construction standards.
He said there would be no compromise on quality and that action would be taken against shortcomings in execution.
