PM credits people of J&K for all positivity, says, no government can do this transformation work on its own
Sonamarg: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday asserted that he would keep promises he made to the people of Jammu and Kashmir, in an oblique reference to the demand for restoration of statehood voiced strongly by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
“Yeh Modi hai, wada karta hai toh nibhata hai. Har kaam ka ek samay hai, aur sahi samay pe sahi kaam bhi hone wale hai (This is Modi who keeps his promises. And right things are going to happen at the right time),” the prime minister said at a large public meeting where he shared the stage with Abdullah after inaugurating a strategic 6.4-km tunnel between Srinagar and Sonamarg.
Terming Kashmir as India’s crown, Prime Minister Modi also said the dream of ‘Viksit Bharat’ will be achieved only when this crown is bedecked with jewels.
Speaking earlier at the function, Abdullah pressed for restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir as promised by the prime minister before the assembly elections in September last year and said, “My heart believes that you will fulfill this promise soon”.
Without making a direct reference to the issue of statehood, Modi told the gathering, “You have to believe that this is Modi and he keeps his promises.”
“There is a right time for everything and right things will happen at the right time,” he said.
The prime minister also said J&K is becoming a hub of ropeways, bridges and tunnels.
He said projects worth Rs 42,000 crore linked to road connectivity in J&K were under execution.
“All these projects will make Jammu and Kashmir one of the most connected provinces. Tourism has a major contribution in the government’s efforts for a Viksit Bharat and better connectivity will help tourists reach virgin places,” he said.
Modi said infrastructure development was visible from Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh.
“You can see the bridges, roads and tunnels which are being made. Jammu and Kashmir is becoming a hub of ropeways, tall bridges and tunnels. Highest tunnel is being made here, the highest rail line is here, and the tallest cable bridge is here.
“The world is astonished at the engineering marvel of the Chenab bridge. Only last week, the trial run was completed on this bridge,” he added.
He mentioned several key projects, including the cable bridge enhancing Kashmir’s railway connectivity, the Zojila, Chenani-Nashri, and Sonamarg tunnel projects, and the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail link project.
The prime minister also mentioned the ropeway projects for the Shankaracharya Temple, Shivkhori and Baltal-Amarnath, as well as the Katra-Delhi expressway project.
He said today India is on its way to new development heights.
“Everyone is working towards making India a developed nation by 2047. It is possible only when no area or family of our country is left behind,” he said.
The prime minister also spoke about the professional educational institutions like IITs, IIMs and AIIMS that have been established in the country for the youth.
“In the last 10 years, Jammu and Kashmir has established several educational institutions. Sons and daughters of Jammu and Kashmir have also benefited from it,” he said.
Modi said the effects of the atmosphere of peace and development in J&K have been felt in the tourism sector. “More than two crore tourists visited Jammu and Kashmir last year while the tourist arrivals in Sonamarg have increased by six times.”
The prime minister referred to the night buzz in Lal Chowk and Poloview areas of the Srinagar city, saying “my artist friends have made Poloview as the new habitat centre”.
“No government can do this transformation work on its own. A large part of the credit goes to people. I am receiving cooperation from people from all walks of life from Jammu and Kashmir. I see a great and bright future for them,” he added.
The prime minister said he wishes Jammu and Kashmir to be beautiful and prosperous. “There is an atmosphere of peace in Jammu and Kashmir and we have seen its effect on tourism. Kashmir is writing a new saga of development today,” he said.
“Jammu and Kashmir of the 21st century is scripting a new chapter of development,” he said and remarked that the region is regaining its identity as “Paradise on Earth”, leaving behind the difficult days of the past.
Modi said the Kashmir Valley will soon be connected by train and there is enthusiasm among people about it.
He also paid tributes to the seven people who were killed in a terror attack near the tunnel here on October 20 last year.
After inaugurating the project, the prime minister went inside the tunnel and interacted with project officials. He also met construction workers who worked meticulously amid harsh conditions to complete the tunnel.
He thanked the labourers who worked hard and also put their lives at stake for the development of Jammu and Kashmir and India.
“Despite the challenges, our resolve did not waver,” the prime minister said while lauding the labourers for their resolve and commitment.
Admiring the beautiful snow-covered mountains and the delightful weather, Modi said that his eagerness to visit Jammu and Kashmir increased after seeing the recent pictures shared by the chief minister on social media.
He reminisced about his earlier days when he frequently visited the region while working for the BJP and mentioned spending considerable time in areas like Sonamarg, Gulmarg, Ganderbal and Baramulla, often walking for hours and covering several kilometres.
Despite the heavy snowfall, the warmth of the people of Jammu and Kashmir made the cold unnoticeable, the prime minister said as the audience broke into applause.
Modi also spoke about the recent foundation stone laying of the Jammu Rail Division, a long-standing demand of the people.
He highlighted that the tunnel will significantly ease the lives of people in Sonamarg, Kargil and Leh.
The prime minister remarked that the tunnel will reduce the difficulties faced during avalanches, heavy snowfall and landslides, which often lead to road closures.
The prime minister noted that the actual construction of the Sonamarg Tunnel began in 2015 after his government came into power and said he was pleased that the tunnel’s construction was completed under their administration.
“I have this mantra: whatever project we announce, we only inaugurate those,” he said and made it clear that the days are gone when projects were announced but nobody used to follow up on them.
Union minister Nitin Gadkari and Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha were also present at the inauguration.
This is Modi’s first visit to Jammu and Kashmir after the assembly elections in September-October last year.
The inauguration of this tunnel will make picturesque Sonamarg accessible to tourists and locals during winter months. The construction of this tunnel was necessary for providing an all-weather road to the Ladakh region because Z-Morh road in Gagangir is prone to avalanches.
The Srinagar-Leh road will be an all-weather road once the Rs 6,800 crore Zojila tunnel is completed. The scheduled date for completion of the Zojila tunnel is 2028.
The 6.5 km-long two-lane bi-directional road tunnel between Gagangir and Sonamarg in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district is equipped with a parallel 7.5-metre escape passage for emergencies.
Situated at an altitude of over 8,650 feet above sea level, the tunnel will enhance all-weather connectivity between Srinagar and Sonamarg en route to Leh, bypassing routes prone to landslides and avalanches.
The tunnel will also promote tourism by ensuring year-round connectivity to Sonamarg.
Along with the Zojila tunnel, set to be completed by 2028, the Sonamarg tunnel will reduce the distance between the Kashmir Valley and Ladakh from 49 km to 43 km and boost vehicle speed from 30 km/hr to 70 km/hr.
The enhanced connectivity will also boost defence logistics, drive economic growth and socio-cultural integration across Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.
The work on the Z-Morh (Sonamarg) tunnel began in May 2015 and it was expected to be completed by 2016-17.
However, it was completed in almost a decade as the Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services (IL&FS), the initial concessionaire for executing the project, stopped work in 2018 due to financial stress.
The foundation stone of the Rs 2,716.90 crore project was laid in October 2012 by the then minister for surface transport C P Joshi in the presence of his then cabinet colleague Farooq Abdullah, then Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi.
The project was re-tendered in 2019 and awarded to APCO Infratech, the lowest bidder, in January 2020. (With inputs from PTI)
“Jammu and Kashmir is no longer synonymous with terrorism but has become a hub for tourism. In 2024, the region welcomed 2.5 crore tourists, up from 2 crore in 2023,” LG Manoj Sinha
Gulmarg has become winter sports capital of India: PM Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said Jammu and Kashmir’s skiing resort Gulmarg, which is preparing to host the fifth edition of Khelo India Winter Games, has become the winter sports capital of the country.
Modi was addressing a public meeting after inaugurating a strategic 6.4-km tunnel constructed at a cost of Rs 2,700 crore, which will make tourist resort Sonamarg accessible throughout the year.
“Gulmarg has become the winter games capital of India, having hosted four Khelo India Winter Games, with the fifth edition starting next month,” the prime minister said after inaugurating the Z-Morh tunnel in Ganderbal district.
Highlighting opportunities in sports for youth in Jammu and Kashmir, the prime minister mentioned the first international marathon held in Srinagar a few months ago.
Modi also recalled the video of the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah participating in the marathon and their enthusiastic discussion about it during a meeting in Delhi.
Asserting that it was truly a new era of Jammu and Kashmir’s history, Modi said an international cricket league was held in the region after forty years, besides car racing scenes around the beautiful Dal Lake.
Over the past two years, the prime minister noted that 2,500 athletes from across the country have participated in various sports tournaments in Jammu and Kashmir.
He highlighted the establishment of over 90 Khelo India centres in the region, providing training to 4,500 local youth.
“My heart says that very soon, you will fulfill your third promise to the people of Jammu and Kashmir which is the restoration of statehood to the Union Territory,” CM Omar tells PM
