Suryaa National Desk: Surya National Desk (Srinagar): Railway, road and aviation sectors are expanding rapidly in Jammu and Kashmir. Improving transportation facilities throughout the year,... Surya National Desk (Srinagar): Railway, road and aviation sectors are expanding rapidly in Jammu and Kashmir. Throughout the year, the central government has accelerated key projects aimed at improving transport facilities, strengthening trade and tourism and connecting the region more strongly with the national economy. The 272-km Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project, built at a cost of around Rs.43,780 crore, is a milestone in connecting the Kashmir valley with the domestic railway network. As part of this, the world's highest railway arch bridge and the Anji Khad cable stayed bridge over the river Chenab were completed at a record level.
Ambitious tunnels are being constructed to improve the road infrastructure and ease traffic even in inclement weather. Construction of Rs 2,700 crore Zed-More tunnel to facilitate continuous transport between Srinagar and Sonamarg has been completed, while work on Jojila tunnel at around Rs 6,808 crore for Ladakh connectivity is progressing fast. Once this is completed, the travel time will be reduced from two hours to just 30 minutes. In addition to this, the Prime Minister has initiated hundreds of kilometers of new road projects at a cost of over Rs.1,500 crores under the Grameen Sadak Yojana. Once the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway is completed, the travel time from Delhi to Katra will be reduced from 14 hours to 6 hours. Srinagar International Airport is being modernized at a cost of Rs.1,677 crore to expand the aviation sector.
A new terminal building is being constructed with the capacity of one million passengers every year. A multimodal cargo terminal has been made available at Samba under PM Gati Shakti, and cargo facilities are being set up in more districts. This will improve market access for local products like Kashmiri apples, saffron and pashmina shawls across the country. This comprehensive infrastructural development not only expands tourism but also creates new employment opportunities in the Kashmir Valley.
