Doda, September 30, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Construction of the 200-metre-long Mandol motorable bridge over the Chenab River in Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda district is expected to transform connectivity for nearly 90,000 people in the remote Siraj region, reducing travel time to the National Highway at Assar from around two-and-a-half hours to just 10 minutes.
The Roads and Buildings Department, with financial assistance from the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), began construction of the bridge in 2025. The project is targeted for completion by the end of the current financial year.
The bridge, which will stand approximately 100 feet above the Chenab River, is designed to provide direct, all-weather connectivity to residents of Kastigarh, Baghwah and Assar administrative blocks in Doda district, as well as Rajgarh block in neighbouring Ramban district.
Dinesh Bhushan, Assistant Executive Engineer of the Roads and Buildings Department’s Baghwah division in Doda, said the Mandol-to-Malhori motorable bridge would be 200 metres long and 5.15 metres wide.
“Construction work on the bridge is progressing at full pace. It will connect the Kastigarh, Baghwah and Assar blocks and provide connectivity between Siraj and Assar on NH-244,” he said.
The project has a sanctioned cost of Rs 24.69 crore, while the allotted construction cost stands at Rs 22.83 crore. Once operational, the bridge is expected to significantly reduce travel distances and improve access to essential services and transport facilities for communities living across the river.
For local residents, the project represents a long-awaited improvement in connectivity. Mudassar, a resident of the area, said people currently have to travel through Doda city to reach the other side of the Chenab and the National Highway at Assar, a journey that takes approximately two-and-a-half hours.
“Once the bridge is completed, it will take us just 10 minutes to reach there. My forefathers dreamed and aspired for this to happen one day. I hope they would have been alive to see this development, which will surely make life much easier for the entire Siraj region,” he said.
Preyavart Singh, a resident of Malhori village, said geographical barriers had made even short-distance travel difficult for people living along the river.
“The other side of the river is just a stone’s throw away, but if we want to meet our relatives or in case of any emergency, we think twice before starting the treacherous journey to go there. This is a major development for the area, which will surely change our lives for good,” Singh said.
He expressed gratitude to the Government of India for addressing the region’s long-standing connectivity needs, adding that a journey covering more than 40 kilometres would become possible in just 10 minutes after the bridge is completed.
The construction of motorable bridges across the Chenab is a significant infrastructure development for remote communities in the Siraj region and other parts of the Chenab Valley, where settlements are scattered across steep mountain slopes in Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban districts.
For decades, geographical isolation has forced many communities along the Chenab to depend on unsafe footbridges, zip-lines and lengthy road journeys through difficult mountainous terrain. The Mandol bridge is expected to ease these difficulties by providing a dependable road link, particularly during emergencies and adverse weather conditions.
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