As Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to inaugurate the world’s highest Chenab Bridge on Friday, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Praveen Khandelwal hailed the upcoming event, while saying that the moment will “inscribed in history” as one of the achievements of 11 years of PM Modi-led government.
Khandelwal also congratulated the engineers for achieving such a feat, which will now connect Katra to Srinagar by rail, boosting the region’s economy and tourism.
“It is a proud moment for the whole country that this part of Jammu and Kashmir, which was not yet connected by rail and will be connected now with the inauguration of that bridge by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Chenab river today, this is no less achievement and I admire all those engineers, for using all their potential in building the bridge,” Praveen Khandelwal told ANI.
“The construction of a bridge in the valley is very important in itself and this too will be inscribed in history as a great achievement in the eleven years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s tenure,” he added.
PM Modi is set to inaugurate the Chenab bridge and visit the bridge deck. He will also visit and inaugurate the Anji Bridge.
The PM will also flag off Vande Bharat Trains, which will travel from Katra to Srinagar and back on the bridges. Thereafter, he will lay the foundation stone, inaugurate and dedicate to the nation multiple development projects worth over Rs 46,000 crore at Katra.
The architectural marvel Chenab Rail Bridge, situated at a height of 359 meters above the river, is the world’s highest railway arch bridge. It is a 1,315-metre-long steel arch bridge engineered to withstand seismic and wind conditions. A key impact of the bridge will be in enhancing connectivity between Jammu and Srinagar. Through the Vande Bharat train moving on the bridge, it will take just about 3 hours to travel between Katra and Srinagar, reducing the existing travel time by 2-3 hours.
The Anji Bridge is India’s first cable-stayed rail bridge that will serve the nation in a challenging terrain.
The Prime Minister will also dedicate the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project to the nation. The 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.
The two Vande Bharat trains will be traveling from Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra to Srinagar and back, offering a swift, comfortable, and reliable travel option for residents, tourists, and pilgrims, among others. (ANI)
