A new bypass road connecting the National Highway-244 at Donipawa with National Highway-44 at Alstop near Mir Bazar in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district is set to be completed by December this year, a senior official said on Friday.
Talking to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), General Manager, National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) for Anantnag, Ragunath Sharma, said the 8.5-kilometre road will help decongest traffic in Anantnag town.
“The project is scheduled to be completed by December this year, with 60 percent of the work already completed,” he said, adding that the bypass road will provide an alternative route for traffic from Kishtwar and other parts of the upper valley to Srinagar without having to pass through Anantnag town.
“This will help decongest traffic in Anantnag town and make it easier for tourists to reach popular tourist destinations,” Sharma added.
Meanwhile, the locals expressed happiness with the construction of the new bypass road. They said the road will not only decongest traffic in the town but will also promote tourism and create employment opportunities.
They thanked the government for the initiative. “The construction of the new bypass road is a welcome development for the people of Anantnag. It will help to improve connectivity in the district and boost the local economy,” Ghulam Nabi Bhat, a local said.
“The road will also help expedite the transportation of horticultural produce to markets, as trucks will be able to ply on this road directly from the upper reaches of the district,” Bhat added—(KNO)