NEW DELHI / BHADERWAH , JAN 11 (KNO) : Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh convened a high-level meeting here for appraisal of the current status of work on the landmark Chattergalla tunnel on the new Highway from Basohli-Bani via Chattergalla to Bhaderwah and Doda.Among those who attended the meeting were Director General, Border Roads Organization (BRO) Lt. Gen. S.K. Shrivastava, Addl. DG Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) Sh A.K. Srivastava and Addl. DG BRO Sh A.S. Rathore. Dr Jitendra Singh conveyed to the officers of BRO and the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways that it had taken considerable and consistent effort to get approval for the construction of this tunnel and even though the completion of the project would take some years, it was his endeavor that all the requisite procedures for the construction of the tunnel and surveys etc should be completed, as far as possible, before the end of this year. Impressing upon the officers to expedite the process as fast as possible and keep him regularly updated about the same, Dr Jitendra Singh said, Chhattergalla tunnel is going to be a revolutionary game-changer, particularly for the districts of Kathua and Doda. This will not only generate revenue, but also help in job generation. Moreover, the availability of an all-weather road from Basholi via Bani to Bhaderwah and Doda will bring in the ease of business and shorten the travel time to just about 4 to 5 hours. In addition, he said, this will offer a unique opportunity for Bani to emerge as a tourist destination of national importance.Director General BRO Lt. Gen. S.K. Shrivastava informed the Minister that a pre-feasibility study for the construction of the proposed tunnel had been completed by the BRO, the results of which were positive. He said, there were some issues related to budget which might reach around Rs.3,500 crore and for which they are also soliciting support from the National Highway Authority India (NHAI) and the Ministry of Road Transport. ADG MoRTH informed that, for the new National Highway from Basholi-Bani via Chattergalla to Bhaderwah and Doda, the procedures have already been completed. This new Highway will replace the old NH-1B and will be known as National Highway 244 (NH-244) after the formal gazette notification. The construction of Highway will continue in a sequential manner and once the point of Chattergalla is reached, the construction of the over 6 km long tunnel will also be undertaken.(KNO)