Construction
The new road was proposed in the 1950s, with the intention of improving the economy of Poonch and Rajouri districts. Then Chief Minister Sheikh Abdullah had taken up this project in 1979 and named it "Mughal Road", but it came to halt as militancy took over. Bafliaz Bridge on the road was blown up by the militants.
The construction of the prestigious project was started in 2005 with a target of completion in March 2007 and an estimated cost of INR 255 crores. The road cuts through Hirpora Wildlife Sanctuary. Initially, there was opposition to the construction of the road because it would fragment the wildlife and inhibit movement of animals, especially the endangered Markhor goat in the region. Also, opponents claimed the road will get early snowfall in winter and hence will not serve as an alternate route to existing Jammu-Srinagar highway. Finally Supreme Court gave conditional permission for the construction of the road. The construction work was completed on 4th December 2008, it is proposed to be open to traffic by summer of 2010 for light vehicles. Double lane road has already been completed as of August 2012. .
Beginning 2010, Mughal Road Car Rally is being organized every year covering 600 km including the picturesque stretch through Pir Panjal.
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Famous quotes containing the word construction:
“There’s no art
To find the mind’s construction in the face:
He was a gentleman on whom I built
An absolute trust.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
“There’s no art
To find the mind’s construction in the face.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
“There is, I think, no point in the philosophy of progressive education which is sounder than its emphasis upon the importance of the participation of the learner in the formation of the purposes which direct his activities in the learning process, just as there is no defect in traditional education greater than its failure to secure the active cooperation of the pupil in construction of the purposes involved in his studying.”
—John Dewey (1859–1952)