Forging a new chapter in the development of Jammu and Kashmir, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of multiple development projects worth over Rs 32,000 crore at the Maulana Azad Stadium in Jammu.

The slew of projects are from several sectors including railways, healthcare, education, aviation, petroleum, and civic infrastructure among others.

The Prime Minister said that to create a Viksit Jammu and Kashmir, the government is focused on the poor, farmers, youth and Nari Shakti. Modi noted that Jammu and Kashmir is fast becoming a major hub of education and skill development. He recalled giving the guarantee in 2013 at the same venue about creating IIT and IIM in Jammu and Kashmir; that guarantee, he said, is being fulfilled today.

Jammu airport’s new terminal building

PM Modi laid the foundation stone for a new terminal building at Jammu Airport. The new terminal will be spread over a 40,000 sqm area and it will be equipped with modern facilities catering to about 2,000 passengers. 

Further, It will showcase the local culture of the region and strengthen air connectivity.

India’s Railways historic Banihal-Sangaldan section is now connected 

Prime Minister dedicated the new rail line between Banihal-Khari-Sumber-Sangaldan (48 Km) and the newly electrified Baramulla-Sringar-Banihal-Sangaldan section (185.66 Km). Prime also flagged-off the first electric train in the valley.

The commissioning of the Banihal-Khari-Sumber-Sangaldan section is significant as it features the usage of Ballast Less Track (BLT) all along the route providing a better riding experience to the passengers. Also, India’s longest transportation tunnel T-50 (12.77 Km) lies in this portion between Khari-Sumber. The rail projects will improve connectivity, ensure environmental sustainability and boost the overall economic development of the region.

Marquee road projects 

During the event, the PM Modi laid the foundation stone of important road projects including two packages (44.22 KM) of the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway connecting Jammu to Katra, phase two for four-laning of Srinagar Ring Road, five packages for upgrading the 161 km long Srinagar-Baramulla-Uri stretch of NH-01, and the construction of Kulgam Bypass & Pulwama bypass on NH-444.

The two packages of the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra expressway will facilitate the visit of pilgrims to the holy shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi, and will also boost economic development in the region.

Education sector gets Rs 13,375 worth of major projects 

Upgrading and developing education, Prime Minister Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of several projects worth about Rs 13,375 crore.

The projects include the permanent campus of IIT Bhilai, IIT Tirupati, IISER Tirupati, and IIITDM Kurnool; academic and residential complex in IIT Patna and IIT Ropar; two permanent campuses of Central Sanskrit University – Devprayag (Uttarakhand) and Agartala (Tripura). 

Notably, the Prime Minister also inaugurated permanent campuses of IIM Visakhapatnam, IIM Jammu and IIM Bodh Gaya. He will open the Indian Institute of Skills (IIS), which is aimed at providing a pioneer skill training institute on advanced technologies in Kanpur.

Modi also inaugurated and dedicated to nation-improved infrastructure like hostels, academic blocs, administrative buildings, libraries, auditoriums etc in multiple higher educational institutes across the country like IIT Jammu, NIT Delhi, IIT Kharagpur, NIT Durgapur, IISER Berhampur, NIT Arunachal Pradesh, IIIT Lucknow, IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, Central University of Kerala Kasaragod, among others.

CUF Petroleum depot

The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone for a project to develop CUF (Common User Facility) Petroleum depot at Jammu. The state-of-the-art fully automated depot will be developed at a cost of about Rs 677 crore, and will have a storage capacity of about 1,00,000 KL for storing Motor Spirit (MS), High-Speed Diesel (HSD), Superior Kerosene Oil (SKO), Aviation Turbine fuel (ATF), Ethanol, Bio diesel and winter grade HSD.

Other key projects

PM Modi also inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of several development projects worth more than Rs 3,150 crore for strengthening the civic infrastructure and provisioning of public facilities across Jammu and Kashmir. The projects include road projects & bridges; grid stations, receiving stations, transmission line projects; common effluent treatment plants and sewage treatment plants among others.