Alternative highway

State government has been fighting very hard with the Central authorities for providing an alternate highway to Kashmir and Ladakh regions apart from Srinagar-Jammu highway. In this direction all the previous governments have tried their best to get the Mughal road as all weather roads by virtue of creating a tunnel at Pir-ki-Gali. But all such efforts could not bear fruit as the central authorities have always delayed this process. It is still a pipe dream and the work on this tunnel for making the Mughal road as an alternate highway for all seasons has yet to take off.

Recently when Srinagar –Jammu highway remained disrupted for days together, the Governor’s administration allowed the traders to use Mughal as an alternate road to ferry their items. The Mughal Road should be fully utilized as an alternate road which links Jammu region with Kashmir valley and wayside amenities also needs to be created on Mughal Road for the convenience of the commuters travelling on this historical road.

The Advisor also stressed for developing wayside amenities on Mughal Road including separate toilets (Bio-degradable) for male and female commuters and refreshment points along the Mughal Road especially at Peer Ki Gali.  He asked for creating temporary structures which should be wind proof and would sustain in the prevailing weather conditions. He further asked to send a team of senior officers from Forest, Tourism departments, Mughal Road Project and other concerned departments to conduct a visit to Mughal Road and discuss all the important issues in this regard at the spot.

Various other important issues relating to development of the Mughal Road as a regular alternate road connecting both the regions were also discussed in detail. Keeping in view the regular incidents of landslides resulting blockage of National Highway, the historical Mughal Road must be utilized properly but that needs coordination from all the involved departments.