INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT IN JAMMU & KASHMIR
Jammu & Kashmir has been the focal point of the Indian State with a large number of measures undertaken by the government for mainstreaming the people of this region. During the course of the independence of India, Jammu & Kashmir received the status of a disputed region that went through tormenting spells of violence & instability. The region was obviated from highly beneficial development programmes Initiated & promulgated for all the Indian states due to its special status. In August 2019, Article 370 & 35A were abrogated opening up the pathway to economic, social & democratic development of the region. Now the region of Jammu & Kashmir is re-designated as the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir directly under the Central Government. The conversion has ensured that maximum aid, development & government policies are provided to the people without an intermediary. Jammu & Kashmir has huge potential in terms of education, demographic talent, natural resources, tourism & economic avenues. These realms were underdeveloped due to prevailing red-tapism & corrupted state government practices.
People of Jammu & Kashmir have already witnessed tremendous development in the past two years with new infrastructural developments, availability of state of art medical facilities, multi-lane highways, tunnels & railways, The region has taken a break from incessant disturbances & owing to this prevailing peace, long halted high-profile projects have now been allowed to be completed with speed & vigour. The region is all prepped up for a complete infrastructural overhaul with the central government proposing & approving several big infrastructure and transport projects. Some of the major projects special to the region & are being pursued in a big way are as below
Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) Providing a boost to the tourism & local economic activities, the government has proposed establishment of a robust transport system backbone in Jammu & Kashmir which aims to connect local stations by means of metro rail transport. Jammu & Kashmir will have unique elevated MRTS corridors on which the Light Rail Transit System (LRTS) will function. Jammu will get two CRTS corridors, the 17 Km long Corridor I will connect Bantalab to Greater Kailash & will have 17 stations. The 6 Km long Corridor Il, on the other hand, will connect Udheywala to Exhibition ground in Jammu. Srinagar will get two phases of MRTS. In Phase-I, two corridors will be laid from HMT junction to Indra Nagar and Osmanabad to Hazuribagh. In Phase-Il, two corridors will be laid from Indra Nagar to Pampore Bus Stand and Hazuribagh to AirportMetropolitan Reqional Development. For the futuristic development of Srinagar and Jammu, the Metropolitan Regional Development Authorities (MRDAs)[1]have been set up. Under the MRDAs, satellite townships with 50,000 new houses each are being developed in Greater Srinagar and Greater Jammu. These new townships will have modern facilities & opportunities for economic & social development like IT parks & modern residential facilities.
Railways. Railways line form Banihal to Baramulla has been completed & operational. Its popularity & efficacy has already been utilised by the general population & is a major transport infrastructure available. Now to further expand the connectivity, Bilaspur-ManaIi-Leh railway line is being conceptualised. The corridor consisting of total 30 stations will connect a wide-network of the locations such as Karu, Upshi, Darcha, Koksar, Keylong, Manali, Mandi and Sundernagar in Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh. Once complete, the 465-km railway line will be the world’s highest railway track.
Zoiila Tunnel. The government has approved the construction, operation and maintenance of a 14 Km long, two lane bi-directional Zojila Tunne1 connecting the Srinagar Valley with Leh. The tunnel will be India’s longest road tunnel and Asia’s longest bidirectional tunnel. The tunnel will be an engineering marvel, a first of its kind in such geographical area. It will have all modern technical safety arrangements such as cut and cross ventilation system, two axial fans, fully transverse ventilation system, uninterrupted power supply, CCTV monitoring, variable messaging boards, traffic logging equipment, tunnel radio, emergency telephone system etc. The construction of this tunnel will provide all-weather connectivity between Srinagar, Kargil and Leh.
Dal Lake Restoration. The famous Dal Lake will also be restored under the latest development projects. The government is planning to improve and beautify the lighting, footpath and waterbody. Apart from this, a world-class musical fountain is also proposed for the tourists.
The Chenab Bridge. The Chenab Bridge in Jammu and Kashmir will be the highest railway arch bridge in the world at 476-meter long. It will have the widest span of the Indian broad gauge railway network in the country & will be the highest railway bridge in the world being 359m above the river bed level. The project, which is being developed by the Konkan Railway, is India’s first cable-stayed Indian Railways bridge and will be a part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) section of Northern Railway in Jammu & Kashmir.
Chenani-Nashri Tunnel. Part of the ambitious 286 km long four-laning of the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, the Chenani-Nashri Tunne1 Project creates reliable all-weather connectivity between Chenani and Nashri a section that otherwise remains closed for about 40 days a year due to bad weather conditions. It cuts down 31 kms of the Jammu-Srinagar distance and will reduce the elevation and hairpin bends associated with the existing highway. The 9 km long two-lane, bidirectional tunnel is Southeast Asia’s first and longest state-of-the-art Intelligent Highway Tunnel. A transverse ventilation system ensures safety of tunnel users while the Fully Integrated Tunnel Control System manages and automates power supply, communication, fire-fighting and traffic control systems. This tunnel is the fastest project to be completed in India’s Himalayan region
Rural Housinq. The abrogation of article 370 has enabled flagship projects of central government like Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana to provide affordable housing for everyone, rural road connectivity, self-help groups reachability & skill development programmes.
Smart Cities. Under the Smart City programme of the central government. The ministry of housing and urban affairs has already assigned Jammu & Srinagar as two smart cities in the region. Government is now likely to declare Ladakh capital Leh as a smart city, accelerating the growth and development in the tourist spot.
Economic development of any region provides impetus to growth & development. Jammu & Kashmir has been witnessing a very slow growth pace however now as the political hurdles have completely vanished post the abrogation of Article 370. Now the government is expected to fast track a whole range of infrastructure projects aimed at bolstering economic development in Jammu and Kashmir. The spike in attention to the region’s infrastructure comes as the Centre has been given an unprecedented level of responsibility over the governance of Jammu and Kashmir. Its status as a Union Territory has put a vast majority of sectors under the developmental scope of the Centre. This has reduced the longer route of announcing massive packages and wait for the state government to implement them. The new Kashmir is likely to receive development of world class infrastructure & facilities & will bring the region at forefront of national development. The region has a potential to challenge the naturally fascinating beauty of European countries & with modern infrastructure facilities, the region will be the role fusion of natural beauty,
