Terming 9-km long world-class Chenani-Nashri road tunnel as ‘fate-line’ of Kashmir Valley, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday exhorted the youth of Kashmir to choose their own destiny by making a clear choice between ‘tourism’ and ‘terrorism’. He also invited them to shun the path of violence by joining the mainstream and taking a giant leap forward on road to development and prosperity.
Soon after inaugurating the tunnel project in the presence of J&K Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, Governor NN Vohra and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, the Prime Minister addressed a jam- packed gathering in Battal Ballian area of Udhampur.
In his address, Modi reached out directly to the misguided youth of the Valley and urged them to realise the power of a stone. “On one hand, there are some misguided youths who pelt stones, on the other hand, there are the youths from the same Kashmir who carve stones to build infrastructure,” he said.
“There are two paths in front of you. On one side there is tourism, on the other side there is terrorism. It has been 40 years, lots of innocents have lost their lives, but no one has gained anything. Mothers in Kashmir have lost their sons. India has lost its sons. But so far no one profited from terror. It only made Kashmir bleed. You have to choose your own destiny,” he added.
Modi said the road tunnel which he has inaugurated is not only going to shorten the distance between Jammu and Srinagar and help commuters bypass hilly terrain, it will actually change the fortunes of Kashmir Valley.
“It is a giant leap in terms of development and progress for the people of the State. The path of bloodshed has not helped anyone for 40 years and will never help anyone”.
Referring to the engineering marvel, Modi said, “It is a proud moment for us. We can say every attempt to preserve the environment and the Himalayas was made while building the tunnel”.
The Prime Minister also thanked the Minister of Road Transport & Highways and Shipping Nitin Gadkari and his team for the tunnel and appreciated the youth for contributing their labour for the development of the State.
“Youth of Jammu and Kashmir worked very hard in the making of the Chenani-Nashri tunnel. I congratulate them for this. The money for this tunnel came from the Government of India. But there is also the scent of sweat of the J&K youth in this tunnel,” PM Modi said.
He added that the tunnel will boost tourism in the State, which had come to a virtual standstill due to the recent increase in extremism in Kashmir valley. “If there had been greater focus on developing tourism and infrastructure, then people from all over the world would have been streaming to the Kashmir valley,” Modi said.
“Another advantage of this tunnel is that tourists will benefit due to this. Every Indian wants to see Jammu & Kashmir. The beauty of this land can draw so many people. Tourism will also bring economic growth,” he added.
He said his Government was committed to ensure fast-paced development of J&K, which would also tell the people living under “occupation” in the other parts of the State how they are being destroyed.
Speaking on the occasion, J&K Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti batted for initiating dialogue with the disgruntled youth to show them the right path.
In her brief speech, she reminded the Prime Minister that her father Mufti Mohammad Sayeed had joined hands with him to reach out to the people of Kashmir. She thanked Prime Minister for helping her and standing with the people of the State during last year turmoil and sought assistance in implementing Agenda of Alliance. She also invited him on behalf of tour operators of Kashmir to visit Kashmir valley and hardsell the destination as one of the safest places for visiting tourists.
Gadkari, Vohra, MoS PMO Dr Jitendra Singh and Deputy Chief Minister Prof Nirmal Singh accompanied the Prime Minister and went around the tunnel to see the world class infrastructure. Project engineers briefed the VVIP’s inside the tunnel.
listing several new projects, Gadkari said Rs 7,000 crore will be invested in highways projects in Jammu & Kashmir in the next two years. He said a ring road will be built around Jammu at a cost of Rs 2,100 crore and another one around Srinagar at a cost of Rs 2,200 crore. Work on this will start in the next three months, he said. Gadkari also informed that Zojila tunnel is being built between leh and ladakh at a cost of Rs 6,000 crore. He informed that during the year 2016-17, Rs 1,019 crore have been sanctioned for 72 projects in J&K.
Meanwhile, normal life was affected in the Valley due to strike called by separatist groups against Prime Minister’s visit to the State for inauguration of Chenani-Nashri tunnel.