Parrikar dedicates North's first cable-stayed bridge in J&K

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Thursday dedicated the first cable-stayed bridge of North India to the nation in Kathua district, providing close connectivity between three northern states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab.

Parrikar, who was flanked by Union Minister Jitendra Singh and Army Chief Dalbir Singh Suhag, inaugurated the cable-stayed bridge on river Ravi at Basholi situated on Dunera-Basohli-Bhadharwah road.

Cable-stayed bridge
The Basohli bridge is the fourth of its kind in India and first in North India and Jammu and Kashmir. Currently, India has three cable-stayed bridges—Hooghly Bridge in Kolkata, Naini Bridge in Allahabad and Rajiv Gandhi Sea Link in Mumbai.

With the completion of cable-stayed bridge over river Ravi in Basholi, connectivity and tourism are expected to get a boost. The work on the maiden cable-stay bridge of the state was started in September 2011 on the persistent demand of people of Basohli where over 22 villages got submerged under water and were evacuated to other places after the construction of the Ranjit Sagar dam. 

The 592-metre bridge has being constructed by the Border Roads Organization (BRO) at a cost of Rs 145 crore. It is a joint venture of IRCON, a Railway Company and SP Singla Construction group.

The bridge will accommodate two lanes of traffic as well as two footpaths and will act as a lifeline for the people of Basohli and Bani tehsils and it will shorten the distance of travel to Punjab and Himachal, an official of IRCON told reporters.

With the construction of this bridge, it will help in promotion of tourism in the area as a large number of tourists visiting the picnic spot of Dalhousie and other sightseeing places in neighbouring Himachal can also visit the Ranjit Sagar Dam at Basohli.