Reasi : Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday reiterated the demand for restoring statehood to the Union territory, expressing confidence that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the one to accomplish that.
CM Abdullah was in Katra to attend the program of the flagging off of Vande Bharat trains by PM Modi from Katra railway station. During the program, apart from the Prime Minister, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, and Union Minister Jitender Singh were also present.
"It has been my luck and fortune that whenever there have been big programs for railways, I have been part of it. The first time Anantnag rail station was inaugurated, when the Banihal rail tunnel was opened. Looking back at the last program of my first term in 2014 happened here too... You had also become the Prime Minister for the first time, just after elections, you came here and inaugurated the Katra railway station, and you won the elections a total of 3 times to remain PM," J-K CM said during the program.
Hoping for "things to get back to normal" in the union territories, CM Abdullah added, "The same four people were present here in 2014 when the Katra Railway Station was inaugurated, Manoj Sinha, who was then MoS (Minister of State) for railways, got promoted as post of LG, and I got from CM of a state to CM of a UT. But things will get back to normal before we know it, and J&K will be given the status of a state by PM Narendra Modi."
Meanwhile, Lt Governor Manoj Sinha highlighted how the slogan of connecting the country to 'Kashmir to Kanyakumari' is becoming a reality with the flagging off of the Katra-Srinagar Vande Bharat Train. "By uniting the two corners of the country, he has also made the dreams of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Dr Syama Prasad Mookherjee come true... He has also connected the beating hearts of millions of Indians in the cities connected by this railway line... The railway bridge inaugurated today is not just cement and iron but a medium to connect the aspirations of Jammu and Kashmir," Governor Sinha said.
Earlier today, PM Modi flagged off two Vande Bharat Express trains from Katra Railway Station, directly connecting Jammu division with Kashmir. Before flagging off the trains, Prime Minister Modi interacted with school children onboard and also spoke with railway staff members present on the train.
The new Vande Bharat Express service will reduce the travel time between Katra and Srinagar from the current 6-7 hours by road to just about 3 hours. The trains aim to provide a fast, comfortable, and reliable travel option for residents, tourists, and pilgrims.
The train will run through the Anji Khad Bridge, which is India's first cable-stayed railway bridge, and the Chenab Bridge, which is the highest railway bridge in the world. The bridges were also inaugurated by the Prime Minister.
In a remarkable gesture, Prime Minister Modi waved the Tiranga, the Indian national flag and carried it forward on the deck of the bridge on the Chenab River.
These bridges are part of the ambitious Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link (USBRL) project in Jammu and Kashmir. The project had earlier faced numerous engineering and logistical challenges due to the region's difficult terrain and seismic sensitivity. Yet, after years of meticulous work, the bridge now stands as a testament to India's technological prowess and commitment to inclusive development.
The Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project is 272 km long USBRL project, constructed worth around Rs 43,780 crore, includes 36 tunnels (spanning 119 km) and 943 bridges. The project establishes all-weather, seamless rail connectivity between the Kashmir Valley and the rest of the country, aiming to transform regional mobility and drive socio-economic integration.