 "This will be Prime Minister Modi's second visit to Jammu region after the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019. PTI")
India’s urban landscape is transforming thanks to the opening of mega infrastructure projects this year.
Adding to the growing list, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting Jammu on Tuesday, 20 February to inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of multiple development projects worth over Rs 30,500 crore.
The projects relate to several sectors, including health, education, rail, road, aviation, petroleum, and civic infrastructure, among others.
Taking to X, PM Modi wrote, “A big boost to all-round development! I look forward to being in Jammu tomorrow, 20 February to inaugurate key development works which will boost ‘Ease of Living.’ It will also be a landmark day for the education sector as various institutions, including IITs and IIMs, will get permanent campuses.”
Here’s a look at the projects he will inaugurate.
The world’s highest bridge
The Prime Minister will also inaugurate the Chenab Bridge, which is touted as the world’s highest single-arch railway bridge and is taller than Paris’ tourist icon, the Eiffel Tower.
Approved in 2003 and contracted in 2008, the bridge runs between Bakkal and Kauri in the Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir and forms a crucial link from Katra to Banihal. It stands at a height of 1,178 feet above the riverbed, making it 35 metres taller than the Eiffel Tower.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsAccording to Indian Express, the bridge is part of the Rs 35,000 crore Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link (USBRL) project, which aims to boost connectivity in J&K’s complex topography and weather conditions.
AIIMS Jammu
PM Modi will inaugurate the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Vijaypur (Samba), Jammu, on Tuesday.
According to PTI, the institute, whose foundational stone was also laid by the Prime Minister in February 2019, is being established under the Central sector scheme – Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana.
Established at a cost of over Rs 1,660 crore and in an area spanning over 227 acres, the hospital is equipped with 720 beds, a medical college with 125 seats, a nursing college with 60 seats, an AYUSH block with 30 beds, residential accommodation for faculty and staff, hostel accommodation for undergraduate and postgraduate students, and a shopping complex, among other facilities, as per the report.
For those unversed, in a significant step towards upgrading and developing education and skilling infrastructure across the country, Modi will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of several projects across the country worth about Rs 13,375 crore, including new IITs and IIMs.
A new terminal building at Jammu airport
Among other projects, the 73-year-old leader will lay the foundation stone for a new terminal building at the Jammu airport.
According to the PMO, spread over 40,000 square metres, the new terminal building will be equipped with modern facilities catering to about 2,000 passengers during peak hours, will be environmentally friendly, and will showcase the local.
Rail projects
PM Modi to dedicate to the nation and lay the foundation stone of several significant road and rail connectivity projects in Jammu and Kashmir.
He will dedicate to the nation various rail projects including the new rail line between Banihal-Khari-Sumber-Sangaldan (48 kilometres) and the newly electrified Baramulla-Sringar-Banihal-Sangaldan section stretching over 185.66 kilometres of the USBRL project.
According to Livemint, the railway authorities said the Banihal-Khari-Sumber-Sangaldan section, built at a cost of ₹15,863 crore, is fully prepared for operation.
The PMO’s statement also said that the Indian premier will flag off the first electric train in the valley and also train service between Sangaldan and Baramulla stations.
The commissioning of the Banihal-Khari-Sumber-Sangaldan section is significant as it features the use of Ballast Less Track (BLT) all along the route, providing a better riding experience to the passengers. Also, India’s longest transportation tunnel, T-50 (12.77 kilometres) lies in this portion between Khari-Sumber, as per PTI.
The railway projects will improve connectivity, ensure environmental sustainability, and boost the overall economic development of the region.
Road connectivity projects
During the programme, PM Modi will lay the foundation stone for important road projects – including two packages (44.22 kilometres) of Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway connecting Jammu to Katra; phase two for four-laning of Srinagar Ring Road; five packages for upgrading the 161-kilometre-long Srinagar-Baramulla-Uri stretch of NH-01; and the construction of Kulgam Bypass and Pulwama bypass on NH-444, reported News18.
The PMO said in the statement, that the two packages of the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway, once completed, will facilitate the visit of pilgrims to the holy shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi, and will also boost economic development in the region.
It added phase two for the four-laned Srinagar Ring Road, which will reduce traffic congestion in and around Srinagar city, improve connectivity to popular tourist destinations like Manasbal Lake and Kheer Bhawani Temple, and also reduce travel time to Leh, Ladakh.
CUF petroleum depot
PM Modi will lay the foundation stone for a project to develop the CUF (Common User Facility) petroleum depot at Jammu as well.
At an estimated cost of Rs 677 crore, the state-of-the-art fully automated depot would be created with a storage capacity of around 100,000 litres. This depot will be used to store various products such as motor spirit (MS), high-speed diesel (HSD), superior kerosene oil (SKO), aviation turbine fuel (ATF), ethanol, biodiesel, and winter grade HSD.
Other projects
Modi will also inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of several development projects worth more than Rs 3,150 crore for strengthening the civic infrastructure and provisioning of public facilities across Jammu and Kashmir.
Road, bridge, grid station, receiving station, transmission line, common effluent treatment plant, sewage treatment plant, multiple degree college buildings, intelligent traffic management system in Srinagar city, modern narwal fruit mandi, drug testing laboratory at Kathua and transit accommodation (224 flats at Ganderbal and Kupwara) are among the projects that PM Modi will inaugurate.
Five new industrial estates will be developed in Jammu and Kashmir; the integrated command and control centre of Jammu Smart City’s data centre and disaster recovery centre; the upgrading of Transport Nagar at Parimpora in Srinagar; the upgrading of 62 road projects and 42 bridges; and the project for the development of transit accommodation—2816 flats at nine locations in the districts of Anantnag, Kulgam, Kupwara, Shopian, and Pulwama, among others—are among the projects whose foundation stone will be laid.
According to PTI, the Indian leader will also distribute appointment orders to about 1,500 new government recruits from Jammu and Kashmir. He will also interact with beneficiaries of various government schemes as part of the ‘Viksit Bharat Viksit Jammu’ programme, the PMO said.
PM Modi’s visit to J&K
This will be Prime Minister Modi’s second visit to the Jammu region after the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019. On 22 April 2022, he addressed a rally in Palli Panchayat in Samba district.
“There is a huge amount of excitement on the eve of the prime minister’s official visit to Jammu, with people eagerly awaiting his arrival. The people of Jammu and Kashmir have a natural connect with him,” Union minister Jitendra Singh said on Monday, after reviewing the arrangements for Modi’s public rally in Jammu. The PM is scheduled to address a public rally at Maulana Azad Stadium in the heart of the winter capital.
A multi-tier security setup has been put in place, and traffic advisories have been issued for PM Modi’s visit to Jammu. A high alert had been sounded along the borders, while the border and highway grids were further strengthened with the officers asked to intensify patrolling and checking of vehicles to keep subversive elements at bay.
Prior to Modi’s visit, Jammu District Magistrate Sachin Kumar Vaishya announced a temporary ban on the use of drones, paragliders and remote-controlled micro-light aircraft as a precautionary measure to counter possible activities by terrorists and anti-national elements.
The order was issued under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code while responding to intelligence reports highlighting potential security threats.
With inputs from PTI