By Vishal Rana / Hamirpur

Central Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, is set to arrive in Hamirpur this Tuesday afternoon. His itinerary includes inaugurating various road projects across Himachal Pradesh at  Police Ground Hamirpur.

Reports suggest that the central minister will unveil and lay the foundation stone for several road projects in the state. Following the event, he is scheduled to return to Delhi. As per gathered information, Gadkari will lay the online foundation stone for a 41-kilometer-long segment from Kalwahan to Mandi on the Jalandhar-Mandi National Highway-3, spanning a distance of 110 kilometers from Hamirpur to Mandi. This region falls under the Mandi parliamentary constituency. It is rumored that this road will connect all the surrounding temples and historical sites, including Tauni Devi, Avahadevi, Baba Kamalnath Fort, Shivdhwala Temple, Ardhnarishwar, Bhootnath, and Trilokinath. Additionally, discussions are underway to establish a separate route from Chandigarh to Mandi via Hamirpur. Moreover, talks are circulating about the inauguration of a ropeway, costing 272 crores, from the Nature Park area to the famous Bijli Mahadev Temple in the Kullu Valley. Furthermore, ceremonies for the commencement of various projects, including a double-lane railway crossing costing 19.37 crores, tunnel construction on NH-305, and slope protection work along the Parwanoo-Solan National Highway costing 266.59 crores, are also on the agenda. The inauguration of the Thiyog Bypass, estimated at 54 crores, and the bridge over the Kalruhi Khad located on NH-70 costing 17 crores, is also slated to take place. Minister Gadkari will also inaugurate projects like the Bagchhal via Badsar Road, Shahpur-Singhuta-Chuwadi route in the Hamirpur district. There are discussions about laying the foundation stone for a 560-meter-long bridge over the Una Canal under the Setu Bandhan scheme and an 800-meter-span bridge over the Beas River to connect Terrace and Sthana in Kangra district. In preparation for Gadkari’s proposed visit to Hamirpur, Deputy Commissioner Amarjit Singh held a meeting on Monday with district administrative and police officials, officers from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), and various departmental officials overseeing local projects. During the meeting, arrangements from the minister’s arrival to departure were reviewed. The officials were directed to manage all aspects, including security arrangements, traffic management, and adherence to protocols, for the visit of the Minister of Road Transport and Highways. The meeting was attended by Additional Deputy Commissioner Manish Yadav, ASP Rajesh Kumar, Assistant Commissioner Pawan Sharma, Regional Transport Officer Ankush Sharma, NHAI Project Director Vikram Singh Meena, Homestead Commandant Sushil Kumar, Chief Medical Officer Dr. RK Agnihotri, and other officials.