Tap water for all in J&K by 2022
Will boost tourism, economy in Valley
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Dec 30: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today set August 15, 2022 deadline for completion of Udhampur-Baramulla rail link project which will connect Kashmir via train with rest of the country.
He said the Jal Jeevan Mission will also be completed in Jammu and Kashmir by 2022.
Modi, today chaired the 34th PRAGATI interaction with Union Secretaries of various Ministries and Chief Secretaries of States/UTs through video-conference.
Chief Secretary, J&K, B V R Subrahmanyam along with Administrative Secretaries of departments of Health & Medical Education and Jal Shakti participated in the video conference.
The Prime Minister reviewed 11 projects related to 7 Ministries including the prestigious Udhampur-Baramulla Rail link being constructed in Jammu & Kashmir.
While reviewing the progress of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project which will connect Kashmir valley with a railway line, Modi was informed that all the issues have been resolved and works are progressing smoothly.
Underscoring the potential of the project to exponentially boost Kashmir’s tourism and economy, Modi fixed the deadline for completion of the project as 15.08.2022.
Reviewing the progress of Ayushman Bharat- Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) across the country, the Prime Minister said that the scheme not only provides financial relief but also acts as a safety net to the underprivileged families which would earlier be pushed into poverty when befallen by serious illnesses. Pertinently, Jammu and Kashmir has recently launched Ayushman Bharat- ‘Sehat’ and extended the free-of-cost and cashless healthcare benefits to all the residents of the Union Territory.
Modi said that through the Jal Jeevan Mission- Har Ghar Nal Se Jal, every rural household in the country will be provided with a clean drinking water supply in adequate quantity by 2024. These efforts will lead to an improvement in living standards of rural communities and thereby must be taken up on mission-mode by all the States and UTs, he added.
It was informed that in Jammu and Kashmir, the mission has been completed in 2 districts and the rest will be completed by 2022.
Meanwhile, Piyush Goyal, Minister for Railways, Commerce & Industry and Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution. reviewed the progress of the ongoing USBRL National Project in Jammu & Kashmir today. V K Yadav, CEO & Chairman Railway Board and Ashutosh Gangal, General Manager Northern Railway were also present in the meeting held via video conferencing. Vijay Sharma, Chief Administrative Officer/ Construction USBRL Project apprised the Minister about the latest status of work on the last leg of the project between Katra-Banihal.
Expressing satisfaction on the progress of the project, Goyal said that, the aspirations of the people of Jammu & Kashmir have to be fulfilled by completing the project so that the region gets a good transportation system to remain connected to the rest of the country all the year round. He called upon the engineers working on the project to expedite the remaining portion on mission mode. He also instructed them to complete the procurement of materials and permission procedures on time so that there is no delay in the construction of the line.
Ashutosh Gangal shared with the Minister that in spite of Ramban and Reasi districts where the project is under-construction being declared as COVID Red and Orange zones, the work on the projects continued following the COVID-19 SOPs. Artisans camps and isolation centers have been provided on sites. 366 people working on the various points had been detected with the virus, but all have recovered well.
The USBRL (Udhampur Srinagar Baramulla Rail Link) is a National project undertaken by the Indian Railways for construction of broad-gauge railway line through the Himalayas with the aim of connecting the Kashmir region with rest of the country. The all-weather, comfortable, convenient and cost effective mass transportation system will be the catalyst for the overall development of the northern most alpine region of the country.
Construction of the first three phases of the project has been completed and the line is in operational use for running of trains between Baramulla-Banihal in Kashmir valley and Jammu-Udhampur-Katra in Jammu region. Work on the intervening 111 Km section Katra-Banihal, the most arduous and treacherous portion due to its geology and extensive riverine system replete with deep gorges is ongoing. There are several iconic bridges and tunnels coming up in this section. Most of the rail track is slated to be in tunnels or bridges in this section. in the absence of an effective surface transport system in this in-hospitable region, Railways had to first lay access roads to the tune of 205 Km to reach the construction sites.
Three agencies; IRCON, KRCL and Northern Railway with extensive experience in construction of rail lines are involved in this project. Many international agencies and premier Indian institutes like IIT Roorkee, IIT Delhi, DRDO and Geological Survey of India are providing expertise in planning and implementation. Several sets of tunnelling machineries and cranes have also been imported.
Presently 95% of the Arch work of the Chenab Bridge, world’s tallest railway bridge is complete, while the work on the Anji bridge an asymmetric cable stayed bridge is on in full swing. 81.21Km of the total 97.64 Km main tunnelling and 53.50 Km out of 60.5 Km escape tunnel works have been completed. 12 mega and 10 minor bridges have been completed. Laying of the remaining 12 mega bridges and one more minor bridge is to be completed by 2021-22, a handout said.
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