:Jammu Union Minister for Road, Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister of State in the same Ministry Gen (Retd) VK Singh and Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha besides top officials of Centre and Union Territory Governments joined the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in New Delhi today between National Highways Logistics Management Limited (NHLML) and Katra Development Authority (KDA) for developing Inter Modal Station in Katra, the base camp of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine.
Traffic from under-construction Delhi-Amritsar-Jammu-Katra Expressway will land at the Inter Modal Station.
Gadkari, who witnessed the MoU signing ceremony along with Gen VK Singh and Manoj Sinha, said the Inter Modal Station is being developed in Katra to improve travelling experience of pilgrims who are visiting Mata Vaishno Devi shrine.
“The Government of India under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is developing Inter Modal Stations across the country,” Gadkari said.
In a couple of tweets, Gadkari said: “Improving Passenger Infrastructure Development across the nation. Witnessed the Memorandum of Understanding Signing Ceremony between NHLML and Katra Development Authority with Union MoS Gen VK Singh, LG Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha and Central and State officials”.
He further tweeted that as part of the initiative, Inter Modal Station is being developed in Katra.
The MoU was signed between officials of NHLML and Katra Development Authority. Principal Secretary Housing and Urban Development Department Dheeraj Gupta and KDA Chief Executive Officer Angrez Singh Mankotia among others were present.
The Inter-Modal Station will come up at 25 acres land where entire transport coming to Katra from New Delhi-Amritsar-Jammu-Katra Expressway will land. It will have enough capacity to accommodate the vehicles and ensure smooth entry and exit. It will have space for all kind of transport.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was scheduled to lay foundation stone of Delhi-Katra Expressway at Ferozepur in Punjab on January 5 this year along with other projects. However, the foundation laying ceremony was cancelled as the Prime Minister couldn’t reach the venue due to rain.
The Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway will have a total length of 669 kilometers and will be developed at a total cost of about Rs 39,500 crore.
“The Expressway will halve travel time from Delhi to Amritsar and Delhi to Katra,” sources said.
They added that the Greenfield Expressway will connect key Sikh religious sites at Sultanpur Lodhi, Goindwal Sahib, Khadoor Sahib, Tarn Taran and holy Hindu shrine of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Ji.
The Expressway will also connect key economic centres like Ambala, Chandigarh, Mohali, Sangrur, Patiala, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Kathua and Samba in four States/Union Territories of Haryana, Chandigarh, Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir.
The Expressway will reduce the distance between Delhi to Amritsar/Katra by about 40 km and enable the commuters to travel from Delhi to Amritsar within 4 to 4½ hours and Delhi to Katra within 6 to 6½ hours, sources said.
The Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway will be complete access controlled and an environmental friendly Expressway with planned cover of about 10 lakh trees to improve carbon footprints. Entry and exit from the Expressway planned at designated interchanges on all National Highways and major State Highways intersecting the Expressway. For comfort of the road user, 40 wayside Amenities including seven in J&K will be constructed.
Sources said the pilgrims visiting holy cave shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi Ji will be major beneficiaries with construction of Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway especially those travelling by road from Northern Indian States/Union Territories of New Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh as the Expressway will sharply reduce travel time.