In his 4th monthly video conference with Secretaries of Union Ministries and State Chief Secretaries under the Pro-active Governance and Timely Implementation Initiative (PRAGATI), Prime Minister Modi has taken detailed overview of road and rail connectivity of the Valley with the rest of the country. The status of rail connectivity between Katra and Banihal was presented by the Chairman Railway Board. 111km Katra-Banihal section is still under construction and only 35 percent work of the section is complete. This section passes through difficult terrain. Delay has happened owing to two factors: one was the realignment of the track at some crucial sites and the other was filing of many PILs in different courts. This section is likely to be completed by 2020. This is a very difficult section and it is in this sector that the contemplated railway bridge over the Chenab River will come up. Previously there was some controversy over the alignment which has been resolved and the Railway Minister, during his visit to the site, made it clear that the approved alignment, on which work has been going on, is based on detailed survey, geo-technical and geo-physical investigation and it is stable, survivable and constructible. Earlier, the Minister laid foundation stone of Chenab Rail Bridge amidst chanting of mantras by priests and offering of prayers. The 1,315m-long bridge is being built at a height of 359m. Once completed, it will be the tallest rail bridge in the world. The 345km-long rail line between the Jammu and Baramulla regions will enhance mobility within the State and across India. Once completed, the Jammu – Qazigund rail link will be one of the wonders of the world. It will also be the living proof of the high level capability of Indian planners, engineers, and skilled and unskilled workers who worked for decades in difficult and harsh conditions to bring this extraordinary feat of modern engineering to completion. The road link between Jammu and Srinagar and then in other parts of the valley and to Ladakh is also underway. It will be a four-lane link and will connect entire Northern Himalayan region to the rest of the plains of India.
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