Centre must focus on J&K’s economic growth
On his first trip to Jammu & Kashmir as Prime Minister, Mr Narendra Modi struck the right chord by keeping the focus firmly on the issue of development. For far too long, the State has been caught in a vicious cycle of Government neglect that has bred popular disenchantment and fed the monster of militancy. This, in turn, had become an excuse for the leadership, in both New Delhi and Srinagar, to cover up a poor governance track record, even as the public exchequer continues to pump several thousands of crores into the State every year, much of which never reaches the intended beneficiaries. A direct consequence of such cynical politics is a weak State regime that is heavily dependent on the Centre's largesse and must pander to the whims of anti-national, non-state actors. Prime Minister Modi has sought to reverse this negative cycle by employing the same formula that he has offered to the rest of the country — economic growth. His inauguration of the crucial Katra-Udhampur rail link and the hydro-power project in Baramulla district, the two high points of his day-long trip, signals the emphasis that his Government is expected to place on core infrastructure-building processes, so as to rev up Jammu & Kashmir’s rusted economic engine.
Both projects have the potential of making a significant contribution in this regard. The rail link especially is poised to be a game-changer. Katra is the base camp for pilgrims going to the Vaishno Devi shrine, but for all these years it had been off the railway grid. The new 25km link, which has been in the works since the Vajpayee years, connects the small town to the district capital of Udhampur, and from there back to Jammu. Built at a cost of Rs1,132.75 crore over a period of 12 years, it is quite an engineering marvel. It includes 10 tunnels and 36 bridges, one of which has a pier higher than the Qutub Minar. In fact, the Katra-Udhampur rail segment is part of an ambitious project that seeks to improve train connectivity between the State of Jammu & Kashmir and the rest of the country. The last piece of this project is the rail link between Katra and Bannihal pass, which is scheduled to be completed by 2018. The enormous boost that this project will give to tourism in the State, not to mention the convenience it will afford to the millions of pilgrims who visit the Vaishno Devi shrine every year, requires no elaboration.
Similarly, the 240 megawatt hydro-power project inaugurated near Uri town in Baramulla district will also, quite literally, help power the State's growth. Built at a cost of nearly Rs1,800 crore, it is a run-of-the-river project on the Jhelum and is expected to generate 1,123 million units of energy annually from its four units. Interestingly, Pakistan had initially objected to this project, also known as Uri-II, on the grounds that it was in violation of the Indus waters treaty. However, it later relented and work began in 2005.