PM Modi to inaugurate projects, address rally during Jammu visit on February 20

“We want the Prime Minister to visit J&K before the start of the election code of conduct,’’ said Singh in Udhampur. “The PM’s programme has been finalised for February 20, during which he will launch various projects and also address a public meeting,” the minister told mediapersons there.

Singh, who visited Martyr Captain Tushar Mahajan railway station in Udhampur to witness the halt of Vande Bharat Express there, said that J&K, especially Udhampur, has always remained on the priority list of the Prime Minister who started his 2014 election campaign after offering prayers at Mata Vaishno Devi shrine. He also thanked the Railway Minister for accepting the demand of the people for Vande Bharat’s halt at Udhampur and Kathua.

Sources said AIIMS, Jammu, which has been built on 226.84-acre land on both sides of NH-44 near Samba district’s Vijaypur town, will start operations by opening OPD services in about 50 specialties. Announced in 2014 as part of his development package for J&K, the hospital’s foundation stone was laid by PM Modi on February 3, 2019. It is currently providing the MBBS programme and is dedicated to introducing Bsc, nursing, postgraduate programmes (MD/MS/MDS), super specialisation programmes (DM/MCh), doctorate (Phd) degrees and more in future. The premises has a two-storey Ayush Block with 30 beds, a convention centre, an academic building accommodating the hospital block, a medical college enrolling 100 students every year and a nursing college for 60 students yearly.

The world’s highest 1.3 km-long rail bridge, located 359 metres above the Chenab river, is 35 m higher than the iconic Eiffel Tower in Paris and forms a crucial link in the 111 km Katra–Banihal stretch, which forms a part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Line (USBRL) Project. With the deadline for completion of USBRL Project, connecting Kashmir by train with rest of India, rescheduled to May this year, the PM is likely to inaugurate the 33-km Banihal-Samber section, which is ready for train operation, bringing Kashmir closer to rest of the country via train.

The Rs 190-crore Devika river project in Udhampur is north India’s first river rejuvenation project on which work started in March 2019 under the National River Conservation Plan (NRCP). The project envisaged development of bathing ghats on both sides of the river, removal of encroachments, restoration of waterbodies and development of catchment areas along with cremation ground, besides construction of three sewage plants, a 129.27-km-long sewage network, small hydro power plants and three solar power plants.