Big boost to Rs 12k cr Char Dham project! Breakthrough achieved - Ahead of time! Check what Nitin Gadkari confirmed

It's a major boost to the Rs 12,000 crore 'Char Dham' project to connect Gangotri, Kedarnath, Yamunotri and Badrinath. In a breakthrough, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has achieved a milestone in the construction of a tunnel below the densely populated Chamba town on Rishikesh-Dharasu road (NH-94). The 6 km road and 450-metre tunnel are being constructed at a cost of Rs 88 crore. Under the 'Char Dham' project costing about Rs 12,000 crore, BRO is constructing 250 km of National Highway leading to holy shrines of Gangotri and Badrinath.

Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said that BRO is a key stakeholder in the prestigious 'Char Dham' project and breakthrough of this tunnel will go a long way in facilitating the speedy move of traffic. He said the latest Austrian technology has been used in the construction of the Chamba tunnel.

Reducing traffic congestion and distance to the Chambal town in future, the development of roads in these areas will ease the movement for Yatris on Chardham Yatra and bring economic prosperity. #PragatiKaHighway pic.twitter.com/roIFxHAtj1

— Nitin Gadkari (@nitin_gadkari) May 26, 2020

"Breakthrough and perfect linkup of construction teams from North & South Portals were accomplished amid challenges of COVID-19 and restrictions due to the nationwide lockdown. The construction of the tunnel was a challenging task in terms of land acquisition, weak geology, continuous water seepage and dense built-up area above the tunnel increasing the chances of sinking," as per an official statement.

BRO started work on 'North Portal' of the tunnel in January 2019 but work on 'South Portal' could commence only after October 2019 when issues concerning land compensation and safety of houses above the tunnel were resolved to the satisfaction of all stakeholders with active support from the state government. The loss in time was compensated by day and night working shifts along with the use of modern technology and machines provided by M/s Bharat Construction, Dehradun, it said.