Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra on Sunday requested the Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari to declare Mughal Road a national highway. In a letter to the Union minister, Vohra has asked him to apprive construction of an eight kilometre lintel between Chattapani and Zaznar to make it an all weather road linking Kashmir’s Shopian district with Poonch district in Jammu region. In this context, he pointed out that there are several avalanche prone locations near Pir Ki Gali and a considerable stretch of it remains snow bound during winter resulting in being inoperative from late November to April end. [related-post] Pointing out that the union ministry of road transport and highways has already declared the Jammu-Akhnoor-Poonch and Srinagar-Shopian-Qazigund roads as new national highways, the Governor said the declaration of Mughal Road as a national highway and the construction of a tunnel on it would provide a reliable all weather alternative route to link Jammu with Srinagar via Rajouri-Shopian axis. The Government of India has assisted the state under Prime Minister's Reconstruction Plan (PMRP) in constructing the 84.10 km long Mughal Road which provides connectivity across the Pir Panjal range, linking Shopian (in Kashmir Division) with Bafliaz (in Jammu division). From the Poonch side, the construction of the road had resulted in reducing the distance to Srinagar by over 300 kishtwar, besides contributing to easing the heavy traffic on Jammu-Srinagar national highway.
