Work on Banihal-Qazigund tunnel about to complete: Union Minister

Says tunnel will be dedicated to people soon

Srinagar: The Union minister Jitendra Singh on Thursday said that the work on Banihal-Qazigund tunnel is about to complete, saying that it will be dedicated to the people soon.In a tweet, Singh informed that the tunnel along the Srinagar-Jammu highway in J&K will be soon dedicated to the people.“Work nearing completion! #Banihal-Qazigund Tunnel of 8.5 km at an elevation of 1,790 mtr is the only 4 lane twin tube tunnel in #JammuAndKashmir soon to be dedicated to the people,” Singh tweeted.Pertinently, reports said that work on the double tube 8.5-km-long Banihal-Qazigund tunnel along the 270-km Jammu-Srinagar highway would likely open for traffic in March.The work on the Rs 2100-crore project started in June 2011 by Navyuga engineering company and on completion would reduce the road distance between Banihal in Jammu province and Qazigund in South Kashmir by 16 km, from the present 35 km, and will bypass Jawahar Tunnel and Shaitan Nalla, which is prone to heavy snowfall and slippery conditions during winters.

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