Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday reiterated the demand for restoring state status in the Union Territory and expressed confidence that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will fulfill it.
CM Abdullah was in Katra to participate in the program to flag off the Vande Bharat trains from Katra railway station. Apart from the Prime Minister, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Union Minister Jitendra Singh were also present during the program.
Addressing the program, Omar Abdullah said, “It has been my good fortune that whenever there have been big programs for the Railways, I have been a part of it. Anantnag railway station was first inaugurated when the Banihal railway tunnel was opened. The last program of my first tenure in 2014 was also done here. You also became the Prime Minister, you came here and you came to the PM, and you were inaugurated till the PM, and you were inaugurated till the PM Won the election 3 times a total of. “
Expecting “things to be normal” in union territories, CM Abdullah said, “When Katra railway station was inaugurated in 2014, the same four people were present here, Manoj Sinha, who was the Minister of State for Railways, was promoted to the post of LG, and I will become the CM of a union state from the CM of a state. Will give status. “
Meanwhile, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha highlighted how the Katra-Srinagar Vande Bharat train is flagged off and the slogan of connecting the country from ‘Kashmir to Kanyakumari’ is becoming a reality.
Governor Sinha said, “By one by one, he has also realized the dreams of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee.
Earlier today, PM Modi flagged off two Vande Bharat Express trains connecting Katra railway station directly to Jammu division with Kashmir. Prime Minister Modi interacted with the school before flagging the trains. He also spoke to the children in the train and the railway staff members present in the train.
The new Vande Bharat Express Seva will reduce the current time of travel by road between Katra and Srinagar from 6-7 hours to about 3 hours. The goal of trains is to provide fast, comfortable and reliable travel options for residents, tourists and pilgrims.
The train will run via the Fit Khad Bridge, which is India’s first cable-based railway bridge, and Chenab Bridge, which is the highest railway bridge in the world. The bridges were also inaugurated by the Prime Minister. In a remarkable sense, Prime Minister Modi waved the Indian national flag tricolor and extended it on the Deck of the bridge on the Chenab River.
These bridges are part of the ambitious Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link (USBRL) project in Jammu and Kashmir.
The project was earlier faced several engineering and logistic challenges due to the difficult terrain and seismic sensitivity of the region. Nevertheless, after careful work of years, the bridge now stands as a proof of India’s technical power and commitment to inclusive development.
The Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project is a 272 km long USBRL project, which has been constructed for about Rs 43,780 crore, including 36 tunnels (extending up to 119 km) and 943 bridges. The project establishes uninterrupted rail connectivity between the Kashmir Valley and the rest of the country in every season, which aims to make regional changes. Promote mobility and socio-economic integration.
