NHAI, BRO to oversee key National Highway stretches in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh
Centre Reorganises Highway Network Under NHAI, BRO
New Delhi: The central government has reorganized the management of several National Highway stretches in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh through a series of gazette notifications. The changes hand major highway corridors to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), while the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) will take over the development and maintenance of roads in strategically important border areas.
The notifications also redistribute responsibility for several other National Highway stretches between the Punjab and Himachal Pradesh governments under the National Highways Act, 1956.
NHAI to manage major highway corridors
Under the new arrangement, the NHAI will take over the entire New NH-154A, which connects Chakki in Punjab with Bharmour in Himachal Pradesh through Banikhet and Chamba.
The authority has also been entrusted with the Himachal Pradesh stretch of New NH-7, extending from the Haryana-Himachal Pradesh border near Kala Amb to the Himachal Pradesh-Uttarakhand border via Paonta Sahib.
It will also oversee the 166-kilomtre Shimla Bypass-Theog-Narkanda-Suru section of New NH-5.
BRO entrusted with border roads
The BRO has been assigned the 157-kilometre Suru-Powari-Chini-Shipki-la section of New NH-5, which extends up to the India-Tibet border in Himachal Pradesh. It has also been given responsibility for the entire New NH-505A, connecting Powari, Reckong Peo and Kalpa.
Separately, the Centre has reassigned a number of National Highway stretches to the Punjab and Himachal Pradesh governments for execution of works. In Himachal Pradesh, these include portions of NH-3, NH-105, NH-303, NH-305, NH-503A, NH-705, NH-707 and NH-907A.
In Punjab, the changes apply to stretches of NH-3, NH-7, NH-148B, NH-154, NH-254, NH-354, NH-354E, NH-503 Extension, NH-703, NH-703A, NH-703B, NH-703AA and NH-754.
The Centre has also amended an earlier notification by removing the 97-kilometre to 103.4-kilometre Paonta Sahib-Himachal Pradesh/Uttarakhand border section of New NH-7 from the NHAI’s earlier allocation.
The notifications do not announce new road projects but redefine which agencies will be responsible for the development, maintenance and execution of works on the notified National Highway stretches.
