Infrastructure is the mother of development: PM Modi in Kashmir

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was in Jammu and Kashmir to inaugurate the Katra-Udhampur rail link, told the cheering crowds gathered at the venue that infrastructure was the mother of development. [caption id=“attachment_1602845” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the Katra-Udhampur rail link in Jammu and Kashmir. Reuters[/caption] PM Modi began his speech by saying that since the Amarnath Yatra and Ramzan were both underway, this was an auspicious occasion to inaugurate the Katra rail link. He went on to say that the rail link  was not only meant for the people of Jammu and Kashmir but for the entire nation to visit the state. Modi then expressed his desire for the train launched at the station to be known as the Shri Shakti Express. “Today I’m going to give Jammu and Kashmir speed and strength to its development,” he said, adding that the train would enable pilgrims to cover their journey with a single train ticket, when they earlier had to use both bus and train. “Private parties will also be ready to invest in this profitable rail link,” he said, as the crowds cheered. Making transportation environment-friendly was a prominent part of Modi’s speech. He said an environment-friendly mode of transportation would be important for Kashmir’s tourism. “The Katra railway station will be unique because of its usage of solar panels,” said Modi. Modi ended his speech by saying that his message to the people of Jammu and Kashmir was that the government was going to take forward former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s plan for transportation in the state. Katra is the base camp for devotees walking to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine. This rail link is expected to make the pilgrims’ journey easier, given that it will provide a link all the way to Katra. According to CNN-IBN, it took 12 years and Rs 1090 crores to build the rail link. Construction was done in four phases. The entire railway line is 25 km long. With 10 tunnels along the way, the rail link has 10.9 km of tunnelling. It has 36 small and big bridges, with one of the bridges having the highest pier height in the country. A  report in Business Standard said that approximately 10 million devotees visit the Vaishno Devi shrine every year. “Till now there are three local train services between Jammu and Udhampur and all these will now be extended to Katra,” said a railway official in the report. The report added that the Katra station is fully equipped with facilities such as a  tourist guide counter, cloak room, waiting and VIP rooms, escalators, lifts and parking lots. Modi’s visit to Kashmir comes at a time when separatists have warned the government against any move to create separate residentila colonies for Kashmiri Pandits in the state, calling their proposed rehabilitation politically motivated. (With additional input from PTI)