SRINAGAR, Oct. 5
The Jammu and Kashmir government has notified the Common Duct Policy 2026, introducing shared underground corridors for electricity, water, telecom, gas and digital networks in a move aimed at ending repeated road excavation and improving the planning of public infrastructure.
Approved by the Council of Ministers, the policy creates a common framework under which multiple utility providers will be able to use shared underground infrastructure instead of separately digging roads for installation, repair and maintenance of their networks.
The government has notified the framework through Government Order No. 199-JK(HUD) of 2026.
Under the new policy, common underground ducts can accommodate electricity cables, telecom and fibre-optic lines, water pipelines, gas pipelines and other utility networks.
The system is intended to address a longstanding infrastructure problem in which roads are repeatedly excavated by different departments and service providers, often shortly after construction or resurfacing.
Such excavation can damage roads, disrupt traffic and increase the cost of maintaining both roads and utility networks.
The Common Duct Policy seeks to replace that fragmented approach with coordinated planning.
For new roads, utility ducts will be incorporated into infrastructure planning so that services can be installed or accessed without repeatedly opening the road surface.
Existing roads can also be brought under the system through phased retrofitting.
The government intends to give priority to high-traffic roads while determining where existing infrastructure should be converted to the common-duct model.
An important element of the policy is the introduction of single-window Right of Way clearances.
Right of Way approvals are required when utility providers need access to public land or road corridors to install infrastructure. Bringing these permissions under a single-window mechanism is intended to make the approval process more coordinated.
The policy also provides for cost-sharing arrangements among utility providers using the common infrastructure.
Access to shared ducts will have to be provided on a transparent, non-exclusive and non-discriminatory basis to eligible utility service providers.
This means the infrastructure is intended to function as a shared utility corridor rather than being controlled exclusively by an individual department or service provider.
Digital mapping forms another important part of the framework.
Utility assets will be mapped through the Call Before You Dig platform, creating a digital record of underground infrastructure.
Accurate mapping could help departments and contractors determine what utilities are already located beneath a road before excavation begins.
This is particularly important where electricity cables, water pipelines, telecom networks and other services occupy the same road corridor.
Accidental damage to an underground cable or pipeline during unrelated construction can interrupt essential services and increase repair costs.
A common digital record should make such infrastructure easier to locate and manage.
The policy also seeks to move more utility infrastructure underground.
Greater use of common ducts could reduce dependence on overhead electricity and telecom wires and poles, helping address visual clutter while protecting networks from some forms of external damage.
The government expects the framework to produce benefits beyond infrastructure management.
Reducing repeated trenching should mean fewer traffic diversions and shorter periods of road disruption.
It could also reduce dust and noise generated by repeated excavation and contribute to improved road safety.
The policy further requires common utility infrastructure to be considered at the design stage of urban, industrial and housing projects.
This provision seeks to ensure that underground services are treated as part of basic infrastructure planning rather than being added independently after roads and developments have already been completed.
That approach could become particularly important as Jammu and Kashmir’s urban areas expand and demand for electricity, broadband, water and other services increases.
Digital connectivity is another area expected to benefit.
Fibre-optic and telecom providers will be able to use common corridors alongside other utilities, potentially making it easier to expand networks without undertaking separate excavation projects.
The effectiveness of the policy will ultimately depend on coordination between government departments, road-owning agencies and utility providers.
Building common ducts into new roads should be relatively straightforward if incorporated at the planning stage. Retrofitting busy existing roads will be more complicated because authorities will have to work around established infrastructure while limiting disruption to traffic and businesses.
Accurate digital mapping will also be crucial.
A common duct system can deliver its intended benefits only if authorities maintain reliable information about the location and availability of underground infrastructure.
The policy nevertheless represents an important change in how Jammu and Kashmir intends to manage roads and utilities.
Instead of electricity, water, telecom and other agencies independently excavating the same road at different times, the government wants these networks planned around shared infrastructure.
For residents, the most visible benefit could be straightforward: fewer newly built or resurfaced roads being dug up repeatedly for utility work.
For the administration, the wider objective is to create a coordinated underground infrastructure network that reduces maintenance costs, protects public assets and supports more systematic urban development across Jammu and Kashmir.
