A Long Wait For A Tunnel For All-Weather Mughal Road

Union Minister for바카라�Road바카라�Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari in April stated that his Ministry has taken up projects of Rs 1,25,000 crore in Jammu and Kashmir and counted바카라�the Mughal바카라�Road바카라�project as a top priority, giving hope to millions of people of this new parliamentary constituency that has been linked with Kashmir in new delimitation report.  

Last year, the delimitation commission has given six additional seats in the Legislative Assembly to Jammu and one to Kashmir. The commission has clubbed two바카라�districts바카라�of Jammu,바카라�Rajouri바카라�and바카라�Poonch바카라�with the Anantnag constituency of the Kashmir region. With it, the Anantnag-Rajouri바카라�Lok Sabha seat will spread over the바카라�districts바카라�of바카라�Rajouri,바카라�Poonch, Anantnag and Kulgam. 

바카라�The tunnel on바카라�Mughal바카라�Road바카라�has always been a popular demand of Pir Panjal region comprising Poonch Rajouri districts. This tunnel if constructed will make this바카라�road all-weather and will boost the economy of the region,바카라� says Shafiq Mir, chairman of All Jammu And Kashmir Panchayat Conference. He says the바카라�Mughal바카라�road바카라�is the only alternative바카라�road바카라�after Banihal highway which connects the Valley with the rest of the country.바카라� 바카라�So the바카라�road바카라�has national interest and is of great importance. I know Jammu BJP is concerned that it was never in favour of this바카라�road바카라�and that is why they are silent on this development."

Apni Party President Altaf Bukhari said the announcement of the construction of the long-awaited Peer Ki Gali Tunnel on the historic바카라�Mughal바카라�Road바카라�will be a game changer. He says the Minister should fix a timeline for the Peer Ki Gali tunnel project. 
Gadkari announced the tunnels and two landing for the바카라�Mughal바카라�road바카라�that will make the바카라�road바카라�all-weather, connecting Poonch and Rajouri districts in the Jammu region to Shopian in the Kashmir Valley.바카라� 

바카라�Whenever Chief Ministers of Jammu and Kashmir would meet me they would insist that the바카라�Mughal바카라�road바카라�sh

ould be made all-weather바카라�road. I am announcing today that the historical바카라�Mughal바카라�road바카라�that links Poonch district of Jammu with Kashmir Valley will be made a two-lane and all-weather바카라�road,바카라� Gadkari says. The announcement has come at a time when Shiv Sena recently held a protest in Jammu seeking the renaming of the바카라�Mughal바카라�Road. 

The 84-km long바카라�road바카라�links Kashmir Valley with the Poonch district of Jammu and has provided an alternative link바카라�road바카라�to the Valley since it was opened for traffic in 2010. 

The바카라�road바카라�passes through the Pir Panjal mountain range, at an altitude of 11,500 ft (3505 m) which is higher than the Banihal pass.

The바카라�road바카라�was historically used by바카라�Mughal바카라�emperors to conquer and travel Kashmir during the sixteenth century. Akbar used the route to conquer Kashmir in 1586, and his son Emperor Jahangir died while returning from Kashmir on this바카라�road바카라�near Rajouri. 

The바카라�road바카라�remains closed during the winter.바카라� Since 1947 the바카라�road바카라�was abandoned altogether. However, reconstruction work on the바카라�road바카라�was started in 2005 during the PDP-led governed and in 2010 the then Chief Minister Omar Abdullah travelled to Jammu via바카라�Mughal바카라�road.

바카라�Initially, the BJP in Jammu would oppose the construction of the road for local politics. But once the road construction started during Mufti Mohammad Sayeed바카라�s time, the central government took a favourable,바카라� says a former bureaucrat. He says after the delimitation commission made Rajouri-Poonch and Anantnag one constituency, it has become necessary for the government to ink-link the constituency to the all-weather road. 바카라�This will benefit people hugely. It is May and the road is still closed. The construction of the tunnel would transform the region,바카라� he adds.