National Highway
on the vital Jammu-Srinagar national highway.
This 270-kilometer stretch serves as the primary artery connecting Kashmir to the rest of the country. Earlier, a blockage occurred in the Banihal area, but swift action by authorities promptly restored traffic flow.
The onset of rainfall in the Ramban and Banihal areas had raised concerns about shooting stones across various sections of the highway. However, with the cessation of rain this morning, authorities initially permitted traffic movement from both sides of Jammu and Srinagar.
“Unfortunately, around 5 PM, continuous shooting stones at Kishtwari Pather led to a complete halt in traffic”, reported a traffic official.
The efforts to mitigate the situation swiftly ensued as the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) deployed personnel and machinery to clear the highway.
Instances of light shooting stones from hillocks were also reported from other locations throughout the day. As of late evening, the highway remained impassable to vehicular traffic.
The abrupt interruption left scores of passengers stranded along the route. Despite the persistent rainfall, authorities mobilized resources to expedite debris clearance and restore operability to the road.
In light of the ongoing situation, authorities have issued advisories urging people to refrain from embarking on journeys along the highway until conditions improve and the road is cleared. (KNS).
construction of the Ram temple since 1984 but it was done by us and our Prime Minister performed its ‘pran pratishtha’ on January 22,” Singh said.
“We implemented the CAA but there are people who are trying to create misgivings but I want to clarify that no Indian citizen is going to lose his citizenship,” he added.
Singh further said, “We have promised implementation of the UCC in the next five years and I wonder why it should not be done.”
“A big trouble has been created in free India due to trust deficit caused by the politicians who used to say something and do something else. This trust deficit between people and politicians was finished by the BJP,” he added.
Referring to the triple talaq, Singh said some people are saying why are you interfering in the religious affairs of others.
“I want to make it clear to them that any woman irrespective of her faith is our mother, sister and daughter. The attack on the dignity and honour of women will not be tolerated. Whether we form a government or not, how can we accept such a thing which will throw her out of her home,” he said.
As far as the Narendra Modi government is concerned, Singh said not only India but the world acknowledges that India is moving ahead to become the third largest economy in the world and its image has also enhanced so much that the world listens carefully to what “we are saying unlike in the past when nobody was taking us seriously”.
He said the BJP is doing what it is saying and it was not the case with Congress which ruled the nation for so many decades but failed to make the country a powerful nation which it should have done three decades ago.
Singh also took a dig at PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti over her remarks that there would be no one to lift the tricolour in Jammu and Kashmir in case of the abrogation of Article 370.
“I want to tell you, Mehbooba Mufti, today the tricolour is being unfurled on all parts of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
Referring to another remark that there would be a bloodbath on the roads of Kashmir, he pointed out that streams of milk and water are flowing in Jammu and Kashmir, showing the significant development and progress made since the abrogation of the Article 370 in August 2019.
“Modi has returned things with interest to Jammu and Kashmir. J&K is moving rapidly on the path of development and progress,” he added.
Pointing towards Congress leader Rahul Gandhi playing with his sister Priyanka in the snow at Gulmarg in Kashmir early last year, Singh attributed it to the peace prevailing in the region after the abrogation of Article 370.
‘India’s Power Surged Post-Surgical Strikes’
The Defence Minister said India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership has shown to the world that it has the power to hit its targets within and across the border in the aftermath of Uri and Pulwama terror attacks.
The terrorists attacked an army camp in the border town of Uri in September 2016, resulting in the killing of 19 soldiers. A fortnight later, the Indian Army carried out a surgical strike across the border and destroyed launch pads for terrorists.
In February 2019, over 40 CRPF personnel were killed in a suicide attack on their convoy by the terrorists in Pulwama district of south Kashmir. Twelve days after the attack, the Indian Air Force (AIF) destroyed the terrorist camp in Balakote, Pakistan.
“Earlier India was considered as a soft state…India has neither attacked any country nor occupied any foreign land which is its character.”
“But when Uri and Pulwama happened, India gave a strong message that we will not touch anyone but if touched by someone we will not leave them,” he added.