Government Approves ₹4.96 Crore for Repair of Sirohi-Mandar Road

Sirohi,  After the Sirohi to Mandar road was handed over to the National Highway Division under Section Pali on 15th October 2024, a decision was made to convert the existing two-lane road into a four-lane highway. To prepare the Project Report (DPR) for this 76.4 km road, new tenders were invited on 4th October 2024. Following continuous attention drawn by both the state and central governments to the poor condition of the road, the Ministry of Transport and Highways of the Government of India has approved a budget of ₹1.91 crore for the project report and ₹4.96 crore for the road repair.

Social activist Mahavir Jain, who had been persistently raising the issue with concerned officials and regional MP Lumbaram Choudhary, played a crucial role in bringing the matter to the attention of the central government. MP Lumbaram Choudhary met with Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari and sent a letter informing him about the public's hardships due to the dilapidated condition of the road. After receiving this approval, the Chief Engineer of National Highways in Jodhpur issued tenders on 14th November 2024, and by 26th November 2024, ten tenders were received. A meeting to evaluate these tenders will be held on 29th November 2024 in Jodhpur, and it is expected that work orders will be issued by the first week of December after evaluating the technical and financial bids.

Praveen Gupta, Principal Secretary of the Public Works Department, emphasized that the state government is seriously addressing the issue of potholes and road repairs, which is why the work is progressing swiftly. This is seen as a significant achievement of the Public Works Department, which has demonstrated its efficiency by acting quickly on the matter.

The new DPR for this 76.4 km road will be completed in six months, and all necessary repair works will be completed within 12 months. Afterward, work will begin to connect this road directly to National Highway 62, creating a new four-lane road from Mandar to Vijaypataka Pulia near Sirohi. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) or another agency will take over this project after conducting a traffic survey on the route.

Rahul Kumar, the Chief Engineer of National Highways Section Pali, stated that the DPR for upgrading the road from two lanes to four lanes, including bypasses for Mandar and Revdar, is expected to be completed in six months.

The Government of India has declared the road from Zherda in Gujarat to Sirohi as National Highway 168. This route starts from the Gujarat border, passing through Mandar, Revdar, Anadara, Pavagiri, and connects with the four-lane National Highway 62 beyond Vijaypataka in Sirohi. The Sirohi district is already well-connected to major highways, including the four-lane roads from Abu Road to Pindwara and from Pindwara to Pali-Jodhpur-Jaipur. Once the Sirohi to Jalore road is also upgraded to four lanes, the entire district will be connected to the National Highway network.

Additionally, proposals have been sent to both the central and state governments for constructing a new alternative road to connect Mount Abu with the four-lane highway via Gulabganj. MP Lumbaram Choudhary is actively working on these efforts as well.