UDHAMPUR, APRIL 02(KMW): Complimenting people of the State on the inauguration of Chenani-Nashri tunnel, Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti has hoped that the tunnel would not only minimize the distances between Jammu and Srinagar but also prove to be a harbinger of bridging the psychological barriers between the people of the State and rest of the country.
The Chief Minister said this while addressing a largely attended public meeting here today which was also addressed by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.
Earlier, the Prime Minister inaugurated the 9.2 KM long tunnel on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway at Chenani. Governor N N Vohra, Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister of State in Prime Minister’s Office, Dr Jitendra Singh, Deputy Chief Minister, Dr Nirmal Singh, Legislators Dr Dina Nath Baghat and Neelam Kumar Langeh besides officials of MoRTH, National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), IL&FS Infrastructure and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.
Mehbooba Mufti said youth of the State who have gone through a tough phase of uncertainty and gloom need to be reached out to get Jammu and Kashmir out of the present phase of difficulties and desolation. She said people of the State expect Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, who she said exhibits the unparalleled determination of taking bold decisions, to help them in taking Jammu & Kashmir out of these uncertain situations and build a prosperous future for them.
Thanking the Prime Minister for all out support to the State Government, the Chief Minister said a lot has happened in J&K due to the support of the Central Government but a lot still remains to be done. She said the ‘Agenda of Alliance’ reached out between PDP and BJP has received the endorsement of the people of the State and the country, who now eagerly await, its time bound implementation. This, she added, would not only bring an end to the miseries of the people here but also strengthen their faith in the country’s democratic discourse thereby helping them in rejecting the path of violence and acrimony.
Ms Mehbooba said few days back a group of tour operators of Kashmir Valley met her and requested to extend an invitation to the Prime Minister to visit Kashmir so that a message of hospitality goes out to the tourists within and outside the country.
Mehbooba Mufti said the basic objective for the two parties to come together in Jammu & Kashmir was to usher in an era of massive development in the State besides taking it out of its perennial miseries and problems.
Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Nitin Gadkari; Union Minister of State for DoNER, Dr Jitendra Singh, Deputy Chief Minister, Dr Nirmal Singh, Minister for Industries, Chander Parkash Ganga, Minister for PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control, Sham Choudhary, Minister of State for Education & Tourism, Ms Priya Sethi, Minister of State for Finance & Planning, Mr Ajay Nanda, Mr Jugal Kishore, MP and MLA and State BJP President, Mr Sat Sharma also addressed the gathering.
Deputy Chief Minister in his address hailed the initiatives being undertaken by the Prime Minister for ensuring that India comes up one of the major powers globally. He said these initiatives would go long way in making the country an intellectual, economical and technologically advanced country.
Dr Singh also enumerated the measures being taken by the central government for ensuring the holistic development of the state. He said several new schemes and program have been undertaken which have brought an appreciable change in road communication, employment generation, tourism and other related sectors.
