Katra-delhi e-way to be completed by 2023: Jitendra Singh

NEW DELHI: The work has started on the Katra-delhi Express road corridor and once completed it will reduce the travel time between the two destinations to around six and half hours, Union minister Jitendra Singh said Wednesday.

He said the project will be completed by 2023, and when it is operational people will prefer to travel from Katra, the town that houses the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi shrine, to the national capital by road rather than by train or air. “The hallmark of this road corridor is that it will connect the holy cities of Katra and Amritsar, and at the same time offer connectivity for some other major important religious shrines between the two destinations,” said Singh, the Minister of State for Personnel.

“The work has started on the first-of-its- kind Katra-delhi express road corridor which will be ready by 2023 and when it becomes functional, the travel time from Katra to Delhi will get reduced to around six and half hours, and from Jammu to Delhi to just about six hours,” the minister said. The project is estimated to cost over Rs 35,000 crore, he said, adding the important cities through which this corridor will pass include Jammu and Kathua in J&K.