NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of multiple projects worth over Rs 18,000 crore on December 4 in Dehradun. The focus of the visit would be on launching projects that will improve road infrastructure and make travel smooth and safe, besides promoting tourism in the region, states an official release. This project will boost connectivity in the areas which were once considered far-flung, it said.
PM will lay the foundation stone of 11 development projects which will include Delhi-Dehradun Economic Corridor (from Eastern Peripheral Expressway Junction to Dehradun) which will be built at a cost of around Rs 8,300 cr. It will significantly reduce the travel time from Delhi to Dehradun from 6 hours to about 2.5 hours. The corridor will have seven major interchanges for connectivity to Haridwar, Muzzaffarnagar, Shamli, Yamunanagar, Baghpat, Meerut and Baraut. It will have Asia’s largest wildlife elevated corridor (12 km) for unrestricted wildlife movement. The 340 m long tunnel near Dat Kaali temple, Dehradun will help reduce impact on wildlife, it is learnt.
The Delhi-Dehradun Economic corridor, will also give arrangements for rainwater harvesting at intervals of 500 m and over 400 water recharge points. Many animal passes have been provided in the Ganeshpur- Dehradun section for avoiding animal-vehicle collisions.
Over Rs 1,600 crore will go into making the Haridwar Ring Road Project from Manoharpur to Kangri, which will give relaxation to residents from traffic congestion in Haridwar city, especially during the peak tourist season, besides improving connectivity with Kumaon Zone, the statement said.
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According to the information, the Dehradun – Paonta Sahib (Himachal Pradesh) road project will be constructed at a cost of about Rs 1,700 crore and will reduce travel time, besides providing seamless connectivity between the two places. It will also boost inter-state tourism. The Nazimabad-Kotdwar road widening project will reduce travel time and also improve connectivity to Lansdowne, it is said.
A bridge across River Ganga next to the Laksham Jhula will also be constructed. The world renowned Lakshman Jhula was constructed in 1929, but has now been closed due to decreased load carrying capacity. The bridge to be constructed will have provision of a glass deck for people walking, and will also allow light weight vehicles to move across.
The PM will lay the foundation stone for the child friendly city project in Dehradun to make the city child friendly by making the roads safer for their travel. Over Rs 700 crores will reportedly be used to develop water supply, roads and drainage system in Dehradun.
According to the plan, the foundation stone for infrastructure development works at Shri Badrinath Dham and Gangotri-Yamunotri Dham will be laid and a new Medical College in Haridwar will be constructed at a cost of over Rs 500 crore.
Seven projects focused on making travel safer by tackling the problem of chronic landslides in the region will also be inaugurated. Amongst these projects, landslide mitigation project at Lambagad (which is en-route the Badrinath Dham) and chronic landslide treatment at Sakanidhar, Srinagar and Devprayag on NH- 58 are the most notable. Road widening project from Devprayag to Srikot, and from Brahmpuri to Kodiyala on NH-58, under Chardham road connectivity project will also be inaugurated.
As shared in the official plan, the 120 MW Vyasi Hydroelectric Project, built over River Yamuna at a cost of over Rs 1700 crore, would also be inaugurated, along with a Himalayan Culture Center at Dehradun. The Himalayan Culture Centre will reportedly house a state level museum, 800 seat art auditorium, library, conference hall, etc. which will help people follow cultural activities as well as appreciate cultural heritage of the State, it is said.
The PM will also inaugurate the State of Art Perfumery and Aroma Laboratory (Centre for Aromatic Plants) in Dehradun. The research done here will prove useful for production of a variety of products including perfumes, soaps, sanitizers, air fresheners, incense sticks etc., and will lead to establishment of related industries in the region as well. It will also focus on development of high yielding advanced varieties of aromatic plants.