The work on much delayed Parwanoo-Solan Highway is back on track as the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has got all the approvals from the major authorities. The announcement has been made by the Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari in a recently held meeting.
Giving more information on the above development, Gadkari said, “After coming out of all the hurdles, the work on 40 km long Parwanoo-Solan Highway is back on track. The 4-lane corridor will be completed in the next 6-8 months.”
He further informed that earlier the work stopped due to seasonal rains. Keeping the safety of daily commuters and tourists in mind, rolling boulders along the excavated path has been kept aside and the work was stopped. But now all these bottlenecks have been eliminated and the construction work has once again started and this time it will continue smoothly.
For the land acquisition work, the NHAI has already sent their compliance report so that the work on this part can be started soon. “All these land is under the control of defence forces and that’s why we need permission to acquire these lands,” Gadkari revealed.
The estimated cost of the project is Rs 750 crores and 75% of construction work has already been completed. Considered as an important and essential infrastructural development, the highway would not only ease the traffic movement on the existing National Highway – 22 but will further boost the tourism in the hilly areas of Himachal Pradesh like Parwanoo, Sola, Kasauli, Shimla, etc.