PM to launch ₹20k-cr projects in J&K today
JAMMU: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Sunday inaugurate development projects worth ₹20,000 crore in Jammu and Kashmir, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement ahead of his first visit to the Union territory since the effective nullification of Article 370 in 2019.
The Prime Minister is travelling to the region to participate in celebrations for the National Panchayati Raj Day, the PMO statement said, adding that the PM will address Gram Sabhas across the country.
“Since the introduction of constitutional reforms with regards to J&K in August 2019, the government has been focussed on bringing about wide ranging reforms to substantially improve governance and enhance ease of living for the people of the region at an unprecedented pace,” the statement said in a reference to the revocation of the erstwhile state’s special status and its bifurcation into the Union territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.
“The projects being inaugurated and whose foundation stone is being laid in this visit will go a long way in facilitating provision of basic amenities, ensuring ease of mobility and development of infrastructure in the region,” the statement said.
During his visit, Modi is scheduled to inaugurate the Banihal-qazigund road tunnel, the statement said. Built at a cost of over ₹3,100 crore, the 8.45-kmlong tunnel will reduce the road distance between Banihal and Qazigund by 16km, and reduce journey time by around one and a half hours. The tunnel will help establish all-weather connection between Jammu and Kashmir, and bring the two regions closer, the PMO said.
The PM will also launch the Amrit Sarovar initiative to develop and rejuvenate 75 water bodies in every district of the country, it said. The project is part of the government’s Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav campaign to mark 75 years of the country’s Independence.
He will also visit Palli Panchayat in Samba district, the statement said, where he will inaugurate a 500KW solar power plant, making Palli the country’s first carbon neutral panchayat.
Ahead of the visit, which follows an encounter near the Sunjuwan military station in Jammu on Friday, security has been stepped up in Samba district.
An attempt by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-mohammad to carry out a suicide attack was foiled after two terrorists were killed on Friday. An assistant sub-inspector of the Central Industrial Security Force was also killed while 10 security personnel were injured in the pre-dawn gunfight.
Palli Panchayat, 17km from Jammu city, has virtually been sealed with local police and paramilitary personnel deployed in
strength to keep a strict vigil, senior officials said.
The venue of the PM’S public rally, which is just 3km from the Jammu-pathankot highway, has been kept out of bounds for the general public as part of the security arrangements, and is being monitored with drones, the officials said. “Multiple security grids have been put in place in Jammu, Samba and Kathua and all along the Jammu-pathankot highway. The SPG has already taken over the venue and a strict vigil is being maintained,” they said.
(With agency inputs)