Himachal Pradesh assembly speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania on Monday met Union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari in New Delhi and urged him to approve a strategic road corridor connecting Dharamshala, Chamba and Pangi, including the construction of a tunnel between Chuwari and Chamba, as a national highway.

During the meeting at Gadkari’s official residence, Pathania submitted a written representation seeking early approval for the Shahpur/Draman-Singhuta-Chuwari-Chamba-Jot-Tissa-Sach-Pangi road corridor. Pathania, who is an MLA from Bhattiyat constituency in Chamba district, told the Union minister that the road was strategically significant for the army’s divisional headquarters at Yol Cantonment in Dharamshala. He said the corridor could facilitate the movement of troops and military equipment to border areas in the event of aggression by Pakistan or China.

He pointed out that the Chamba-Tissa-Bairagarh-Sach section was already under consideration by the Centre for construction under the General Reserve Engineer Force (GREF). However, he said, developing only that stretch would not fulfil the broader strategic objective unless the Draman-Singhuta-Chuwari-Chamba section was also included.

Pathania further informed Gadkari that the Shahpur/Draman-Singhuta-Chuwari-Chamba road via Jot had already been widened under the World Bank and Central Infrastructure Fund (CIF), and had now become nearly a double-lane road.

Gadkari assured Pathania that the central government was in the final stages of deliberations on a policy for declaring new national highways. He said the proposal would be considered once the new guidelines and criteria were finalised.

Pathania said the proposed corridor would improve connectivity between Gaggal airport, Shahpur, Chamba and Pangi, enabling military personnel, tourists and local residents to travel more conveniently and reducing journey times to the remote region.