Authorities in Jammu and Kashmir are preparing detailed project reports for 60 kilometres of road works along the Amarnath Yatra route, at an estimated cost of Rs 3,500 crore, an official spokesman told PTI on Tuesday. 

The announcement came at a meeting chaired by Union Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways Ajay Tamta, where officials presented a broad overview of ongoing and planned connectivity projects across the Union Territory.

For the lakhs of pilgrims who undertake the Yatra each year, the upgrades could mean safer, more accessible roads to the holy cave shrine, one of the most demanding pilgrimage routes in the country.

The Katra question

Beyond the Amarnath corridor, the meeting flagged the Rs 880-crore Katra Intermodal Station as a key project for pilgrims visiting Shri Mata Vaishno Devi. The station, once operational, will integrate rail, road, and helicopter services under a single hub.

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Katra, the base camp for the Vaishno Devi shrine, sees millions of visitors each year. Currently, arrivals from different transport modes converge on an infrastructure that was not designed for this scale.

Ropeways at the high altitudes

The meeting was also informed of 54 ropeway proposals worth Rs 30,000 crore that have come in for J&K. Of these, eight projects valued at Rs 16,000 crore are to be taken up in the first phase. 

The sites include the Amarnath cave shrine itself, which is located at an altitude of 3,880 metres, along with Shankaracharya Temple, Thajiwas Glacier, Bhadarwah, Sanasar, and Doodhpathri.

For elderly pilgrims and those with limited mobility, ropeways at these altitudes could open access to destinations that are otherwise difficult or impossible to reach on foot.

The four corridors

Four high-speed road corridors worth Rs 50,000 crore are currently under construction across J&K. These cover the Jammu-Udhampur-Srinagar stretch, the Jammu-Chenani-Anantnag route, the Srinagar-Baramulla-Uri corridor, and the Jammu-Akhnoor stretch. 

Officials said these will improve access to the Kashmir Valley, Chenab Valley, Rajouri-Poonch, North Kashmir, and key border areas with implications for tourism, trade, and defence movement.

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Delhi to Katra, faster

The 670-kilometre Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Greenfield Expressway, pegged at Rs 41,000 crore, is also part of the broader connectivity picture. Within J&K, 143 kilometres of this expressway worth Rs 11,500 crore is slated for completion by August 2027. 

Once done, the Delhi-Katra distance is expected to reduce by 58 kilometres, shaving time off what is, for many pilgrims, an already long journey from the national capital.

Ring roads for the cities

Urban congestion in both Srinagar and Jammu is being addressed through ring road projects. The 104-kilometre Srinagar Ring Road, costing Rs 7,200 crore, will divert traffic away from the city and improve links to Baramulla, Kupwara, Bandipora, Gurez, Kargil, and Leh.

In Jammu, the 58-kilometre ring road is nearly complete, with 53 kilometres already operational. Work on a detailed project report for a 33-kilometre Eastern Jammu Ring Road is also underway.

What comes next

The next phase of projects includes DPRs for 707 kilometres of highways worth Rs 65,000 crore. Key corridors on the drawing board include the 125-kilometre Katra-Srinagar High-Speed Corridor, the Rafiabad-Kupwara-Tangdhar route with the Sadhna Tunnel, and the Surankote-Bufliaz-Doodhpathri-Magam corridor with the Peer Ki Gali Tunnel. 

The Srinagar-Sonamarg-Gumri corridor and service roads along the Srinagar-Qazigund stretch are also included. Once operational, this will provide ease to the travellers who visit these sites for pilgrimage.