Srinagar, Jul 29: The Centre has initiated steps to provide all-weather connectivity to the seasonally isolated Tangdhar and Gurez regions of Jammu and Kashmir, with the consultancy work for the Detailed Project Report of the proposed Sadhna Tunnel already awarded and tendering underway for a DPR for a tunnel at Razdan Pass.
Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Jairam Gadkari informed the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday that Tangdhar would be connected through the proposed Sadhna Tunnel on the Kupwara-Tangdhar section of National Highway-701.
For Gurez, the Ministry said a tender had been invited to appoint a consultant for preparing the DPR for the proposed tunnel at Razdan Pass.
The Minister was responding to an unstarred question raised by MP Chowdry Mohammad Ramzan regarding all-weather tunnels for seasonally isolated border regions.
The Ministry clarified that Gurez and Marwah-Warwan do not fall on the National Highway network and therefore are not directly covered by its tunnel development projects. It did not provide sanctioned project costs or definitive completion deadlines for the proposed tunnels in its reply.
In the interim, proactive snow clearance is being carried out on National Highways and other roads assigned to the Border Roads Organisation in the affected areas to keep routes open and traffic-worthy during winter, the Ministry said.
On healthcare support during prolonged road closures, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has sanctioned several facilities under the Pradhan Mantri-Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission. These include a Block Public Health Unit at Dawer in Gurez, a Primary Health Centre at Sheikhpora, a New Type Primary Health Centre at Bhagote, and Block Public Health Units at Tangdhar and Teetwal.
The Jammu and Kashmir Government also provides free helicopter and air evacuation services for critically ill and emergency patients in Gurez who require referral to tertiary healthcare facilities outside the region, it said.
For Marwah-Warwan, the Centre said one Block Public Health Unit at Community Health Centre Marwah and an Ayushman Arogya Mandir at Margi have been sanctioned. A six-bed prefabricated unit has also been sanctioned for Primary Health Centre Afti under Emergency Covid Response Package-II.
The Ministry noted that healthcare delivery is primarily the responsibility of the Jammu and Kashmir Government, while the Centre provides support through various initiatives.
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