The double lane tunnel on national highway 72 A near Dat Kali temple was inaugurated by Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat here on Saturday.
With this development, the flow of traffic on this highway linking Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh will not be disrupted by jams at this stretch which was notorious for traffic congestion. Named after Bharat Ratna recipient M. Visvesvaraya, the tunnel is 340 metres long, 5.50 metres high and has 1.50 metre wide footpaths on both the sides. It has a 255 metre approach road towards Dehradun and a 205 metre approach road towards Saharanpur.
The construction of the tunnel was completed about eight months before the deadline.
Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said that the M Visvesvaraya tunnel is dedicated to the talented and hard working engineers. He congratulated the executing agency for completing the work eight months ahead of schedule while also saving Rs nine crore. He said that work should also be undertaken for beautification and to depict the culture of Uttarakhand at the entrance of the tunnel.
The CM referred to the Rs five per litre cut in prices of petrol and diesel in Uttarakhand, adding that this decision will result in Rs 325 crore financial burden per year on the government.
Attempts will have to be made to increase production and revenue to tackle this additional burden, he said.
The State Government is laying special focus on improvement of roads which will enhance convenience experienced both by locals and tourists. He averred that in 2025 when Uttarakhand will mark the silver jubilee of its creation, the State would have become a developed and prosperous State as dreamed of by statehood activists.
The Government is acting consistently against corruption with the support of public, public representatives, ministers and bureaucrats.
MLAs Vinod Chamoli, BS Chowdhary, additional chief secretary Om Prakash, chief engineer Hari Om Sharma and other officials were also present on the occasion.