If the Union Home Minister Amit Shah, currently on a 3-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir, is to be believed, underground train services on the pattern of New Delhi’s Metro would be operational in the two capital cities of Jammu and Srinagar in the next two years. Shah’s address to a rally in Jammu on Sunday made it clear that the Narendra Modi government at the Centre, which has set early 2024 as deadline for most of the major infrastructure projects in Jammu and Kashmir, was keen to complete its ambitious Metro project in Srinagar and Jammu before the Lok Sabha elections of the year 2024.

Shah’s announcement about J&K Metro came months after the Union Railway Ministry declared that the valley of Kashmir would be linked to the rest of the country through the rail link before 2024 and the Union Ministry of Roads and Highways made an identical announcement regarding completion of the four-lane Jammu-Srinagar highway within next two years.

With the work being in progress on the world’s highest rail bridge and a track of several tunnels between Reasi and Banihal, authorities are confident of making Baramulla-Srinagar-Katra-Jammu-Delhi train services operational before the Parliamentary elections of 2024. Work is simultaneously in its final stage on the four-laning of the highway between Ramban and Banihal—the most difficult patch of 45 km. The 8.5 km tunnel between Banihal (Jammu) and Qazigund (Kashmir), which has been completed, is a significant breakthrough on this surface communication project.

Completion of the two projects will, for the first time in history, provide an all-weather 24x7x365 communication link between the strategically critical Kashmir valley and New Delhi. It will come as a boon for the security forces and physically integrate Kashmir with the rest of the country. The common people of Kashmir as also hundreds of thousands of the domestic and international tourists and the Valley’s horticulture sector would be the key beneficiaries of the two projects.

“The people of Jammu used to come to Delhi for a Metro joyride for their children. Now we are bringing Metro to Jammu and Srinagar within the next two years”, Shah told a cheering rally in Jammu. He gave details of the development of the Jammu airport with funding of Rs 700 crore and disclosed that helipads were being constructed in all the 20 districts of the Union Territory. He said that his government would soon make the inter-district helicopter services operational for the benefit of the common people as well as the tourists and pilgrims.

Continuing his attack on the three political dynasties—Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah (National Conference), Mufti Mohammad Sayeed (PDP) and Indira Gandhi (Congress), albeit without naming them—Shah said that their descendants were ridiculing the UT government over seeking national and international investment. “They said nobody would invest in J&K. Today the fact of the matter is that there’s commitment of an investment of Rs 51,000 crore (from entrepreneurs and industrialists). All this money will be spent by 2022. It will provide employment to 500,000 unemployed youths of Jammu and Kashmir”, Shah asserted.

According to Shah, Modi’s government had completed 21 major languishing projects and spent Rs 35,000 crore on infrastructure development in J&K in addition to Rs 55,000 crore special package from the Prime Minister. It, according to him, was much more than the “three dynasties” had spent in 70 years. He said that the BJP government had provided regular employment through J&K Services Selection Board to 25,000 unemployed youths. “Appointment orders are being handed over to as many as 7,000 unemployed youths today”, Shah asserted. He said he was proud of meeting with 45,000 youths of 4500 youth clubs across J&K. “Once the youth brigade is with you, terrorists won’t be able to damage or spoil anything”, Shah added.

Shah took pride and claimed credit for Narendra Modi’s government for nullification of Article 370 and 35-A which according to him had retarded J&K’s growth for decades. “Mr Modi took the historic decision (of J&K’s reorganisation) on 5 August 2019 which gave justice and rights to lakhs of the residents including the West Pakistan and the PoK refugees, Valmikis, Gorkhas, SCs, STs and OBCs. Our Gujjar and Pahari brethren would soon get many rights which had been denied to them”, Shah added.

Referring to the situation, Shah said that his government would leave no stone unturned to uproot militancy. He said that as many as 208 persons per year used to die due to the terrorist violence in J&K from 2004 to 2014. “The number has fallen to 30 per year during the Modi regime from 2014 to 2021. That is a smaller number but our endeavour is to ensure that not a single person in J&K dies in the terrorist violence”, Shah said.

Shah paid glowing tributes to the founder of the Jammu Praja Parishad Party Prem Nath Dogra who was elected as President of Bharatiya Jana Sangh in 1955. He chose Dogra’s birth anniversary as the day of his first visit to Jammu after 5 August 2019. He said J&K was proud of being the birthplace of Mr Dogra and the place of sacrifice of Syama Prasad Mukherjee, founder of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh—BJP’s precursor in 1950s—who died in a Srinagar jail in June 1953.

“With abrogation of Article 370, Mr Modi has fulfilled Syama Prasad Mukherjee’s dream of one constitution, one flag and one sovereign head”, Shah asserted, claiming that the “era of injustices with Jammu” had ended for ever.

Accompanied by LG Manoj Sinha, Shah also visited the Border Observation Post in Makwal Sector on the International Border where he interacted with the officers and jawans of BSF. “The dedication of our security personnel and their devotion towards the nation is inspiring and truly amazing. The central government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is fully devoted to the welfare of our security forces and their families”, Shah said.

Shah distributed sweets among the border guards and inspected bunkers from the Makwal outpost. During his visit he entered the residence of one Chunni Lal at Makwal and had tea with him and his family. Shah later met with the wife and brother of the government school-teacher Deepak Chand who had been killed by terrorists in Srinagar early this month.

Also Read: Youth will steer the next phase of a new era in Kashmir—Amit Shah

Also Read: All set for historic flight from Sharjah to Srinagar as Amit Shah heads for Jammu and Kashmir