Jammu and Kashmir | PM's valley express

In most places warmed by the seasonal appearance of electoral rhetoric, it’s not rare to see politics and development get fused into one grand narrative. But for Jammu and Kashmir, it’s a bridge crossed. The train network expansion from Srinagar to Jammu formed the backdrop to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s February 20 rally at the Maulana Azad Stadium in Jammu. His main theme was how the abrogation of Article 370 had aided Kashmir’s better integration with the mainland. A series of engineering marvels—among them, the world’s highest railway bridge that awaits its last nuts and bolts, and a series of mind-bending mountain tunnels—were offered as material symbols of that idea. This was Modi’s second visit to Jammu after August 2019, when J&K’s special status was revoked. And that event was still good enough to give him his campaign plank ahead of the general election. “Article 370 was the biggest hurdle in the development of J&K. The BJP removed that wall,” he told the crowd. The development occurring as a result was eliciting enthusiasm globally, he said, and “Gulf countries were showing keen interest”—alluding also to the G20 events hosted successfully in Srinagar. Nationally, he cited the “record two crore tourists” who visited J&K in the past one year and said a better rail link would only grow those figures.

The coming Lok Sabha election will be the first time the province will vote after its change of status, so the stakes are high for the BJP—in ways that include but also go beyond the calculus of seats. As one of the two Union Territories the erstwhile state was bifurcated into, J&K (minus Ladakh) has six Lok Sabha constituencies: three each from Kashmir and Jammu. Assembly elections, too, have not been held since 2014; now, there’s a Supreme Court deadline of September 2024. The showpiece projects Modi is showcasing have, therefore, not come at a bad time. Foremost among them is the 48.1 km Banihal-Khari-Sumber-Sangaldan railway line that he inaugurated, part of the Katra-Banihal section of the 272 km Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla (USBRL) railway link that will connect Kashmir with the rest of India.

This rail link boasts several standout features—among them, India’s longest transport tunnel. Nestled in the Pir Panjals, the ambitious 12.7 km-long project, named T49, lies in the Ram­ban district between Sumber and Arpinchala stations in rugged mountai­nous terrain. Traffic promises to be bustling: the PM also flagged off electric trains on routes totalling 185.66 km on the Baramulla-Srinagar-Banihal-Sangaldan section—a significant step towards providing all-weather train connectivity to Kashmir.

“The Bharatiya Janata Party is fulfilling the dreams of people in J&K that were unmet for the past 70 years. Modi’s guarantee is final…that everyone’s dreams would be fulfilled,” Modi said at the rally. News of bomb blasts, separatism and kidnappings, he added, were replaced by those of education, connectivity and development. In Jammu, Modi also inaugurated/ laid the foundation of 209 development projects worth over Rs 32,000 crore. Prominent among them are an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Samba district, the IIM Jammu campus and a new terminal in Jammu airport. “People would forget Switzerland and come to J&K as infrastructure would get a big boost,” he said on the occasion.

Modi also deployed a trope he frequently uses against the Congress as he lit into the traditional Valley parties arrayed against the BJP. He said a “few families had clung on to power” in J&K since Independence without prioritising people’s welfare. Without naming the National Conference or the People’s Democratic Party, Modi said, “I am happy that J&K is now getting freedom from dynastic politics.”

Eight electric trains will now run between Baramulla and Banihal and four of these have been extended to Jammu’s Ramban sector, with Sangaldan as the new last or originating stop. In the coming months, this will further connect to one of the showpieces of the entire USBRL: the spectacular Chenab Bridge in Reasi district. This 1.3 km-long steel arch bridge over the emerald Chenab, coursing 359 metres below, is the world’s highest railway bridge.

The T49 tunnel and the Chenab bridge are part of the rail link that promises a reliable connect to far-flung and poorly connected areas of J&K and is expected to spur economic growth and promote tourism. Declared a ‘national project’ in 2002, the USBRL is being constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 37,012 crore. Its execution has seen four phases: Udhampur-Katra (completed in July 2014), Banihal-Qazigund (completed in June 2013), Qazigund-Baramulla (in phases by 2009) and Katra-Banihal—the most formidable leg of the project. The 111 km Katra-Banihal corridor falls in Seismic Zone 4 territory and presents multiple construction challenges as it winds its way through mountains and an extensive riverine system that wraps around it with deep gorges. Over 97 km of the stretch comprises tunnels. It also has 37 bridges, including the cable-stayed Anji Bridge (over Anji river) and the picturesque Chenab Bridge. “The construction in Banihal-Katra corridor involved overcoming geological complexities like fault zones, loose strata and water ingress,” says an engineer of the Northern Railways.

In spite of the challenges, the Centre has pushed for the USBRL to est­a­blish full connectivity to the Valley as fast as possible. ‘It can play an important role in rapid industrialisation, movement of raw materials and finished products from J&K, encourage tourism and provide opportunities for employment,’ states the 2021 report of the ministry of railways.

Needless to say, Kashmir’s trade bodies eagerly await full rail connectivity. Presently, the Kashmir valley is connected with the rest of India through National Highway 44, but landslides often force it shut for days. Air travel, with high fares on the Srinagar-Delhi route, is unaffor­dable for most. “The train will attract investment and bring down travel time,” says Faiz Ahmad Bakshi, general secretary of Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry. “It will take our horticulture/ agriculture produce like apples to their destinations easily.”

The rail link and the development projects announced by Modi are expected to boost the BJP’s electoral prospects. Says former deputy chief minister and senior BJP leader Nirmal Singh, “We have done it not on paper, but on the ground, and have been able to reach the completion stage. The train will socially and politically integrate the region…it’s a dream come true.”

Political analyst Rekha Choudhary says that besides being showcased across India during the campaign season, the USBRL and other projects will be used to point out to the world that the abrogation of Article 370 had a socio-developmental purpose. “Besides boosting the economy,” she says, “it will have a psychological impact on Kashmiris, as it will bring people closer with the rest of the country.”