Kathua set to get state's first "highway village" as part of NHAI

Kathua district in Jammu and Kashmir is set to get the state's first "highway village" having a multiplex complex, motels and baby-care rooms, as part of a first-of-its-kind plan of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), Union minister Jitendra Singh said Thursday.

Singh said it's a matter of pride that one of the first such structures to be constructed under the "Highway Village" plan of the NHAI will come up at Kathua.

The entire project is expected to be completed in about 13 months and a piece of land measuring about 9 acres has been identified as a prime location near Kali Bari, Kathua, he said.

The minister said the proposed "highway village" will have a modern multiplex complex consisting of a food-court, retail arcade, provisional stores, etc.

It will also have a village haat, motels, dormitories, open-air rest areas, toilet facilities, baby-care rooms, children's play area and fuel station.

Facilities such as car washing, puncture repair, pollution check, parking and Internet will be available at cost-effective rates, he said.

(With inputs from agencies.)