Shimla, Dec 7 (IANS): Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Friday laid the foundation stone of a 100-metre span motorable double lane cable-stayed bridge over the Beas river on the Hanogi-Kholanala road in Mandi district.

Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said this bridge would ensure better connectivity between the Seraj and Drang areas. This would be the state's first cable-stayed bridge that would be completed in two years.

The bridge will be constructed at a cost of Rs 15.85 crore.

Meanwhile, Member of Parliament Ram Sawroop Sharma thanked the Chief Minister for persuading the Union Railways Minister to upgrade the Pathankot-Jogindernagar railway line.

The 165-km-long rail track from Pathankot in Punjab to Jogindernagar in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh was once proposed to be declared a Unesco heritage site.

The British had laid the Pathankot-Jogindernagar line in 1932, linking the prominent religious towns of Kangra and Mandi districts of the hill state.

Each year, a large number of tourists ride the trains on the line to take in the scenic beauty of the Himalayas.