Gilgit: The National Logistic Cell (NLC) has started construction work on the 76-kilometre-long section of the Gilgit-Shandur Road, news sources reported. The said road project is part of the China-Pakistan-Economic-Corridor (CPEC)’s western route and will be completed with a total budget of PKR 50 billion.
The project will connect the two halves of the valley, Shandur and Gilgit, to increase connectivity and provide alternative routes to the Karakoram Highway. The NLC has started working on the project from the Shandur side. The project is part of the 216-kilometre-long road project to connect China with Pakistan, and reduce travel time between Gilgit and Shandur from 7 hours to 4 hours. In addition, the road will be able to handle trucks with higher load capacity.
Reportedly, Shandur is among the highest places in Pakistan, located at 12,000 feet height from sea level and home to the world’s highest mountains. The project was approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) with a total budget of PKR 50 billion. The ECNEC awarded package 2 of the project to Ningxia Communications Construction Co. Ltd, which is a Chinese government-owned construction firm. It was also stated that the project’s completion will facilitate valley’s access to the province’s key districts, increasing tourism in the region.
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