Srinagar, Jan 2: The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has asked its officials to examine a Jammu and Kashmir government proposal seeking National Highway status for the Anantnag-Kapran-Desa-Doda road.
The move follows a representation by Congress legislator Ghulam Ahmad Mir, who has urged the Centre to develop the road as an alternative all-weather link between Kashmir and Jammu through the Pir Panjal range.
In a written response to Mir, accessed by Greater Kashmir, the ministry said that proposals to notify state roads as National Highways are assessed based on connectivity requirements, National Highway norms, and alignment with the PM Gati Shakti framework.
“I have directed the concerned officers to examine your proposal in the light of the above guidelines,” the ministry said.
In his letter to Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, Mir described the road as being of “strategic and national importance” and sought its declaration as a National Highway, followed by preparation of a detailed project report by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).
“The road serves as a reliable all-weather alternative to NH-44, which remains highly vulnerable to frequent landslides,” the letter said, adding that the corridor would link south Kashmir with the Chenab Valley and strengthen regional connectivity.
Mir said the route could serve as a dependable alternative to the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway, particularly during frequent closures of the Banihal-Ramban stretch.
“This is the shortest possible road to the Chenab Valley and Jammu,” he said. “Being a hard-rock road, it is less prone to landslides, shooting stones, and avalanches.”
Mir said the road would benefit fruit growers, traders, yatris, and the defence movement.
“It can be used for fruit trade, yatra, and defence logistics,” he said. Mir said he first took up the project in 2014, but it failed to progress after a change in government.
He urged the Centre to either declare the road a State Highway and hand it over to the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd, or notify it directly as a National Highway under NHAI.
According to Mir, the road could be developed as an extension of the Bani-Basohli-Bhaderwah-Doda road network.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Member of Parliament Mian Altaf Ahmad have also acknowledged the importance of the route, he said.
On the Kashmir side, the road is currently motorable beyond Hengipora up to Habal Mundu in Kapran.
On the Jammu side, it is almost fully motorable beyond Manjami to Gayi and Mangal-Thata.
Earlier, the road was motorable only up to Manjami, forcing residents of the Desa area to trek about 35 km to reach Doda town.
Despite repeated correspondence, the project has seen little progress. In April 2023, the office of Union Minister of State Jitendra Singh wrote to NHIDCL highlighting the road’s importance as an alternative Kashmir-Jammu link, but no follow-up action was reported.
An NHIDCL official said the agency cannot prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) unless the road is formally declared a highway.
Officials of the Roads and Buildings Department said delays in finalising DPRs had further stalled the project.
A senior official said the preliminary DPR for upgrading the 47-km Kashmir stretch had remained under review for more than nine years, with the initial cost estimated at about Rs 210 crore, excluding a tunnel.
The proposal dates back to 1958 during the tenure of Bakshi Ghulam Muhammad and gained momentum in 1966 following an agitation by Doda residents.
Former chief ministers Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah, Mufti Muhammad Sayeed, and Mehbooba Mufti later supported the project. In 2016, former chief minister and then Member of Parliament Ghulam Nabi Azad also sought National Highway status for the road.
Once completed, the route would link the districts of Doda, Ramban, and Kishtwar with Anantnag in south Kashmir, reducing the Srinagar-Doda distance by nearly 90 km.
A tunnel across the Pir Panjal is considered critical for year-round connectivity.
Although a 7-km tunnel near Gayi in Desa was announced in 2009, a survey has yet to be conducted.
“This is the shortest and safest route to Kashmir,” said Ishtiyaq Deva, an activist from the Chenab Valley. “A tunnel would make it all-weather and boost tourism in the region.”
Chairman of the Shahabad Welfare Forum, Zahoor Ahmad Malik, said he had met Gadkari several times.
“The minister’s position has been that once the road is declared a highway, the project can move forward,” Malik said.
Greater Kashmir has reported on the project’s importance and lack of progress for more than a decade.