Opinion | NH44: The Road That’s Rebuilding India’s Future

For many years, NH44 was more than simply a highway; it was a bottleneck and a route beset by landslides, delays, and dashed hopes. The patience of shopkeepers, visitors, and truckers alike was put to the limit as a journey that should have taken hours turned into days. However, that narrative is evolving now. This 3,745-kilometer route, which runs from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, has changed from being a dangerous section of road to a representation of innovation, connectivity, and economic growth. NH44 is now more than simply a route; it’s a lifeline, helping Valley farmers reach new markets and ambulances speed across formerly closed passes. Before its inauguration, trucks bound for Srinagar would queue for days during snowstorms, drivers huddling around bonfires. Now, apples from Shopian reach Delhi’s Azadpur Mandi in 12 hours flat. “Earlier, half my produce rotted on the road,” says Mushtaq Ahmed, a third-generation orchardist. “Last year, I exported to Dubai”.
Further south, the “Chenani-Nashri Tunnel” India’s longest road tunnel cut travel time between Jammu and Srinagar from 8 hours to 2.5. For 28-year-old Anika, a medical intern commuting weekly from Udhampur, it’s a lifeline: “That tunnel gave me five extra days a month to study. I cleared my NEET exam last year”.
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) deployed Japanese “slope stabilization tech” to tame landslides in Himachal’s Solang Valley. In 2022, after a monsoon-induced landslide buried 50 meters of highway, engineers used drones with LiDAR mapping to reroute the stretch in 45 days. “Earlier, this would’ve taken two years,” admits Rajeev Sharma, an NHAI project manager. Smart highways are now the norm. Solar-powered SOS booths dot the Kashmir Valley stretch, while IoT-enabled sensors in the “Sangaldan Tunnel” monitor air quality and trigger alerts. “It’s like the tunnel breathes,” jokes Afzal, a toll booth operator.
The numbers tell a story, Trade Boost: Freight traffic on NH44’s Kashmir stretch rose 300% since 2019(J&K Trade Department).
Tourism Surge: Himachal’s Lahaul-Spiti district saw tourist footfall jump from 18,000 (2018) to 2.1 lakh (2023) after all-weather connectivity.
Job Creation: Over 15,000 locals were employed in NH44 projects—from engineers to chai stall owners.
In Nagrota, a hamlet near Jammu, 32-year-old Priya runs a dhaba that serves 500 trucks daily. “Before the highway widened, I sold 50 plates a day. NH44’s deadliest stretch the 100-km Jammu-Udhampur corridor saw 210 deaths annually pre-2019. Today, crash rates have dropped 60%. Thanks to:
AI Surveillance: Cameras with license plate recognition nabbed 1,200 over speeding trucks last year.
Ambulance Corridors: A “golden hour” protocol reduced trauma fatalities by 40%.
For Sub-Inspector Ramesh Kumar, who patrols the Ramban stretch, the change is visceral: “Earlier, we carried body bags in our jeeps. Now, we carry first-aids.”
In Himachal’s Kullu Valley, the highway expansion displaced 140 families. Rama Devi, 58, whose ancestral home was demolished for a bypass, fumes: “They gave us money, but no shop space. Now, tourists zoom past; we watch from the hills.” Environmentalists too warn of deforestation—over 8,000 trees axed in J&K alone for NH44 widening. Yet, the NHAI’s compensatory afforestation drive—15 lakh saplings planted since 2020—has begun bearing fruit. Literally. In Qazigund, apple saplings flank the highway, their branches heavy with fruit. “These trees are our apology to nature,” says botanist Dr. Irfan.
The government’s 2024 NH44 agenda reads like sci-fi
Drone Corridors: Delivery drones will ferry spare parts to stranded trucks by 2025.
Self-Healing Asphalt: Pilot tested in Kerala, this material fills cracks autonomously.
EV Charging Grid: 200 charging stations will dot the highway by 2026.
But for millions, NH44’s greatest gift is intangible. When Srinagar college student Aatif drove his grandmother to Vaishno Devi last year, she wept—not from devotion, but relief. “In the 1980s, this pilgrimage took two weeks. We slept on roadside dirt,” she recalled. “This time, we made it in four hours… and my sari stayed clean.”
NH44’s makeover isn’t just about moving goods faster. It’s about a farmer’s apples reaching new markets, a patient surviving because an ambulance didn’t get stuck, a Kashmiri student finally seeing the ocean. As the highway stretches into the horizon—its lanes buzzing with EVs, its rest stops smelling of filter coffee and *kahwa*—it mirrors India itself: flawed, hustling, but relentlessly moving forward.

Writer hails from district anantnag and can be reached at munazah.002@gmail.com