At this moment in time, the Doda-Dessa-Kapran project has not yet moved on to the stage of actual construction.
Nadia Farooq
The National Highways and Infrastructure Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) and the Public Works Department (PWD) have not yet moved on with the formal communiqués about the Doda-Dessa-Kapran road project, as of the 2nd of August in Anantnag.
The office of Union Minister of State (MoS) Jitendra Singh had written to the chairman of NHIDCL on April 21 of this year in regards to the project.
The letter was sent in response to the presentation that was made by the district president of the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP), Doda Vijay Mohan Thakur.
“I am to forward a representation bearing the number BJP/D/21 dated March 23, 2023, of BJP district president Vijay Mohan Thakur addressed to MoS in PMO Jitendra Singh regarding a request for the construction of the Doda-Dessa-Kapran road, which will prove to be a better and safer alternative highway to the existing National Highway between the regions of Kashmir and Jammu. “Since this region is included in the minister’s parliamentary constituency, I have been instructed to investigate this matter and determine the most appropriate course of action,” the communiqué said.
Despite this, there has been no forward movement since that time.
Raghu Nath Sharma, who is in charge of project management for NHIDCL, said that there had not been any directives as of yet to take over the road or to compile its Detailed Project Report (DPR).
Earlier than this, on March 2 of this year, a letter that was quite similar to this one and had the number PS/OSD/Adv (B) 36/1110 was sent to the Principal Secretary to the Government PWD in order to authorise the Doda-Dessa-Kapran-Verinag road. This letter was submitted by the office of the Lieutenant Governor.
That letter had been issued after the Greater Verinag Civil Society had made its presentation to the LG Advisor.
“The president of the society addressed Advisor (B) to the LG and asked for the Doda-Desa road, which is a legitimate and long-pending need of the region. The request was made by the society’s president. According to the text of the communiqué, “in this regard, the undersigned has been instructed to request that the Principal Secretary of PWD kindly have the matter explained and take necessary action in accordance with norms.”
Ishtiyaq Hussain, Executive Engineer of the Roads and Buildings (R&B) Division in the Qazigund Division, said that the DPR had not been completed and authorised as of yet.
According to a government official, the preliminary DPR of the Doda-Dessa-Kapran route for the stretch of the road that falls inside Kashmir that was produced by the R&B Department has been under review by the government for more than four years at this point.
The cost of the project for the 47-kilometre road length from Hengipora to Kapran hamlet in Verinag on the Kashmir side was anticipated to be 210 crore rupees.
According to a statement made by a government official, “the DPR of the road, which does not include a tunnel for the time being, had been forwarded to the government for final approval a few years ago but is still under the government’s observation.”
He said that the Jammu division was responsible for preparing the DPR from the Doda side all the way up to Desa.
In 1958, under Bakshi Ghulam Muhammad’s rule, the idea of building a road that would connect Doda, Dessa, and Kapran was initially put forward.
The opening of the road picked up momentum in 1966, when the people of Doda launched an agitation for its construction.
In the next year, 1978, Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah made a similar commitment to take up the project.
In the previous PDP-BJP coalition government’s rule, first the then Chief Minister Mufti Muhamad Sayeed and later Mehbooba Mufti also issued directions for the preparation of the DPR.
If it were finished, the road would have connected the districts of Doda, Ramban, and possibly Kishtwar with the Anantnag district, which is located in the southern portion of Kashmir.
It could have reduced the distance between Srinagar and Doda by 90 km by cutting the distance to 140 km from the current 229 km through the Jawahar Tunnel.
In fact, Doda would be just 45 kilometres from Kashmir’s southern end via Dooru in Anantnag district.
On the Doda side, the road is motorable only up to Manjami in Desa, and so people still have to walk 35 km to reach Doda.
On the Kashmir side, it is motorable till Hengipora-Kapran village in Dooru-Verinag.
Completing the link and reducing the distance further requires the construction of a tunnel across the Pir Panjal range.
“Little has been done to start the construction of the 7-kilometre-long tunnel, which was to come up near Gayi in Desa,” an official said. “The J&K government had announced the construction of the tunnel in 2009.”
In 2016, Member of Parliament and former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad asked the Centre to declare Doda-Dessa-Kapran Road a National Highway.
“It is high time that the road be handed over to the NHIDCL so that the project at least sees some progress,” an official said.
Locals said that the Desa-Verinag-Dooru road would be safer than other routes to Doda.
“This road is one of the shortest possible routes to Kashmir and safe too, with no danger zone of shooting stones or landslides,” said Ishtiyaq Deva, a local activist from Chenab Valley.
He said that a tunnel would make it an all-weather road and drastically reduce the number of accidents that had become routine in these districts.
“This road traverses Doda district, touching most of the habitats, including Bhaderwah, Thathri, and Gundoo Balais, which otherwise are connected with narrow, precarious roads,” Deva said.
The residents of Bhatta village in district Doda frequently trek the Braribal mountain to reach Kapran in Kashmir for purchasing merchandise.
“Our ancestors came from Kashmir through this route,” Deva said.
Babar Nehru, a lawyer from Doda, said that the area had tremendous tourism potential with breathtaking scenic spots.
“The lakes like Paritalab and Brari are a treat to the eyes,” he said.
Babar said that the government could for now at least construct the road on the lines of the Kokernag-Sinthan-Kishtwar road.
“This will at least connect Doda with Anantnag in the summer months until the tunnel comes up to make it an all-weather route,” he said.
Locals expressed hopes that the road would become a reality under Union Surface Minister Nitin Gadkari’s tenure.
“We hope he won’t let us down and announce its construction at the earliest,” said Syed Ishfaq of Kapran.
