Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Jammu & Kashmir for the first time since the repealing of Article 370. The revocation of Article 370 in the Union Territory had taken place in August 2019. On the National Panchayati Raj Day, PM Modi inaugurated various projects worth ₹20,000 crores for the development of Jammu and Kashmir. The new projects include the construction of the Banihal-Qazigund Road Tunnel and the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway. Also, two hydroelectric projects will come up on the Chenab river.
Banihal-Qazigund Road Tunnel Inaugurated
The Banihal-Qazigund Road Tunnel will have a distance of 8.45 kilometres. It will curtail the journey between the two places by nearly one and a half hours. The distance between the two places will reduce by 16 kilometres. The estimated cost of the construction of the tunnel is around ₹3100 crores.
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Foundation Stone Of Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway Laid
PM Modi laid the foundation of the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway which will connect Delhi’s Bahadurgarh border with Jammu & Kashmir’s Katra, which is also home to the Vaishno Devi Temple. The corridor will pass through Nakodar and Gurdaspur in Punjab and it will reduce the distance via road between Delhi and Katra by around 5 hours.
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In his speech during the visit, PM Modi also delivered a speech on the importance of panchayats. He assured the youths of UT that they will not witness the issues that their ancestors had gone through. PM Modi said that the tourism industry in Jammu & Kashmir is gaining a boost again. Additionally, he highlighted the importance of organic farming in Gram Panchayats. On that note, Kashmir Has Launched An Online Platform For Hotel Booking, Tour Guides And More