Jammu, June 5: A multi-tier security setup has been put in place for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Jammu and Kashmir on Friday to inaugurate the much-awaited Kashmir rail link and also dedicate to the nation multiple development projects worth over Rs 46,000 crore in Katra, officials said.
This will be the first visit of Modi to the Union Territory post Operation Sindoor, launched by the Indian Armed Forces in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack that left 26 persons, mostly tourists, dead on April 22.
Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to inaugurate the Chenab bridge and India’s first cable-stayed Anji bridge, the symbol of India’s engineering excellence, before flagging off Vande Bharat trains to mark the completion of the 272-km Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla railway link (USBRL) that will provide direct train connectivity to the valley. Modi will also lay the foundation stone, inaugurate, and dedicate to the nation multiple development projects worth over Rs 46,000 crore at Katra, the base camp for pilgrims visiting the Vaishno Devi shrine atop Trikuta hills in Reasi district.
The 272 km long USBRL project, constructed at a cost of around Rs 43,780 crore, includes 36 tunnels (spanning 119 km) and 943 bridges. The project establishes all-weather, seamless rail connectivity between Kashmir and the rest of the country, aiming to transform regional mobility and drive socio-economic integration. Prime Minister Modi will also flag off two Vande Bharat Express trains from Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra to Srinagar and back. They will offer a swift, comfortable, and reliable travel option for residents, tourists, and pilgrims, among others.
Officials said a high security alert has been sounded across Jammu and Kashmir given the Prime Minister’s visit, with senior police, paramilitary officers, army, and intelligence officers personally monitoring the situation. Heavy security deployments have been made in and around the venues with the latest gadgets, including drones deployed to keep a close vigil, the officials said, adding the security grid on the borders and the hinterland has been further beefed up to check infiltration and movement of anti-national and subversive elements.
The area domination and raids on the houses of suspected persons, including Over Ground Workers and relatives of terrorists operating from across the border, have also been intensified as part of the security arrangements, the officials said. During a visit to border areas on Wednesday, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Jammu-Kathua-Samba range, Shiv Kumar, directed the officers on the ground to remain vigilant. The officials said several roads heading towards Katra Stadium, the venue of Modi’s public rally, may be shut or there may be traffic diversions on Friday.