Sonia to lay foundation of Basohli bridge

To open an alternative route to the National Highway 1A and to Kashmir valley via Kathua,Doda and Kishtwar districts in the state,UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

To open an alternative route to the National Highway 1A and to Kashmir valley via Kathua,Doda and Kishtwar districts in the state,UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi will lay the foundation stone of a permanent bridge over Ravi river at Basohli on Monday.

The 592-metre bridge being constructed by the Border Roads Organisation at a cost of Rs 145 crore will not only link three northern states of Jammu and Kashmir,Himachal Pradesh and Punjab,but also open new areas for development and tourism in Kathua and Doda districts,besides areas along the Ranjit Sagar Dam. After its completion,the vehicles from Punjab could go to the Valley via Basohli,Bani,Bhaderwah,Kishtwar,Chhatroo and Anantnag,said a Defence Ministry spokesman.

Scheduled to be constructed through M/s IRCON-SPS Construction Pvt Ltd by September 2014,the bridge will also open up avenues for commercial mining of material like gypsum and lime stone.

Prominent among those attending the function will be Defence Minister A K Antony,Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare Ghulam Nabi Azad,Minister for New & Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah,Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Minister of State for Defence Dr M M Pallam Raju. Defence Secretary Pradeep Kumar and Director General,Border Roads,Lt Gen Ravi Shankar will also be present.

Pointing out that Basohli bridge is going to be a technological marvel,the spokesman said it would be a cable-stayed bridge,similar to the second Hoogly bridge in Kolkata,Naini Bridge in Allahabad and the Rajiv Gandhi Sea Link at Mumbai. It would have a tower height of about 88 metres above deck level and the decking and the span regions would only be supported by cables. There would be 1.5 metre wide footpaths on both sides.

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