Bilaspur, May 31: Himachal Pradesh Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla on Wednesday said the Kiratpur-Manali four-lane project will take the state's tourism to "new heights".

"The local people will be facilitated through the four-lane and the possibilities of employment at the local level will also increase due to the industrial areas built on the sides of the project," Shukla said in a release. Shiv Pratap Shukla Appointed New Himachal Pradesh Governor, CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu Congratulates Him.

During his visit to Bilaspur district on Wednesday, the Governor inspected the progress of the 1.8 km long tunnel construction at Kiratpur and the new Bhanupalli-Bilaspur-Beri rail line in Bilaspur district. He said the Kiratpur-Manali project is not only important from a strategic point of view, but its completion will also give new heights to tourism in the state.

Shukla said the construction of five tunnels on the Kiratpur-Manali four-lane is over and five more tunnels will be opened in the next three months. He directed the authorities to complete all the work under the project within the stipulated time.

The first stretch of the four-lane, which connects Kiratpur in Punjab to Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, is almost complete and a date for its inauguration will be finalised soon, former Himachal Pradesh chief minister Jai Ram Thakur had said last week. Shiv Pratap Shukla Health Update: Himachal Pradesh Governor Hospitalised After Chest Pain.

Varun Chari, National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) project director of the four-lane construction, Wednesday said the current distance of 124 km from Kiratpur to Mandi via Swarghat and Bilaspur will be shortened by 37 km once the new road stretch is ready.

Meanwhile, Anmol Nagpal, Railway Development Corporation project director for the Bhanupalli-Bilaspur-Beri rail line, said 20 km of the track would be laid by the year-end. Nagpal said the trains running on the new track can reach a speed of up to 100 km per hour. The 52 km track up to Bilaspur and 63.1 km up to Beri will be built in patches of 10 km each.