Leh: The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has sanctioned highway projects worth nearly ₹28,000 crore in Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh over the last four years, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has informed Parliament.
In Jammu & Kashmir, 43 highway development and upgradation projects covering 653 km have been approved since 2021-22. These include 15 projects in 2021-22 alone, costing ₹14,235 crore, followed by another 15 in 2022-23 worth ₹9,538 crore. In 2023-24, 8 projects covering 179 km were cleared at a cost of ₹2,774 crore. So far this year, 5 more projects worth ₹1,262 crore have been approved.
For Ladakh, the figures are modest but strategically significant. Only two national highway projects have been sanctioned since 2021. The first, in 2021-22, covered 27 km at a cost of ₹426 crore, while the second, cleared in 2024-25, involves 11 km at ₹29 crore. Officials said Ladakh’s challenging terrain, short working season, and ecological sensitivities restrict the number of projects but make each one vital for mobility and defence.
Highway development, the Minister added, is a continuous process undertaken on the basis of traffic density, road condition, connectivity needs, and strategic priorities under the PM Gati Shakti Master Plan. Pending proposals for Ladakh are under review.
