COVID-19: Chardham all-weather road project to be delayed due to lockdown

Completion of the 150-km Tanakpur-Pithoragarh stretch of the chardham all-weather road project will be delayed by nearly six months due to the shortage of labourers amid the ongoing lockdown, an official said on Thursday.

"This particular stretch of the project was to be completed in June this year. However, it is not likely to be ready before November now as all migrant labourers working on the project have left since their exodus began with the announcement of the lockdown," NHAI Executive Engineer L D Mathelawho is in charge of the project said.

The shortage of labourers and technical staff has affected cutting, hot mixing, crushing and quarrying work of the project, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) official said.

Even if work on the project resumes after May 3 it is bound to be affected by the onset of monsoon in June-July, he further said.

Frequent rain and landslides during monsoon often lead to suspension of work on the project slowing its progress, Mathela said.

The chardham all-weather road is a pet project of Prime Minister Narendra Modi who keeps monitoring its progress personally.