[NEW DELHI] India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the world’s tallest railway bridge connecting the restive Kashmir valley with the rest of the country on Friday (Jun 6), marking his first visit to the region after days of missile and drone attacks with Pakistan brought the two nuclear-powered nations close to a war.
Along with the bridge, Modi also inaugurated infrastructure projects worth 460 billion rupees (S$6.89 billion) in the city of Katra in Jammu and Kashmir.
“In addition to being an extraordinary feat of architecture, the Chenab Rail Bridge will improve connectivity between Jammu and Srinagar,” Modi posted on social media platform X Thursday.
The projects are aimed at improving connectivity between India’s northernmost region, which has suffered from decades of sub-par infrastructure due to unrest and militancy in the region. The federal government’s efforts to promote tourism in the Kashmir valley to boost the economy has been hit after 26 civilians, mostly tourists, were killed in an attack on April 22.
New Delhi blamed Pakistan for the attack and conducted air strikes against nine locations in Pakistan, saying they were suspected terrorist camps. The strikes led to retaliation with days of drone and missile hits traded between the two neighbours.
New infrastructure connecting popular religious spots in the Himalayas, along with safer means of transportation could restart tourism, which is one of the biggest sources of revenue for Jammu and Kashmir.
The Chenab railway bridge flows across a 1.3 kilometre stretch and is the world’s highest at 359 metres above sea level, with the project spanning multiple districts in the region, many rail lines, including India’s first cable-stayed rail bridge.
The projects will “boost spiritual tourism and create livelihood opportunities,” said Modi in a statement on social media platform X on Thursday, ahead of the inauguration.
“It is a collective achievement of the last 30 years… Successive Prime Ministers have worked to make these projects a reality,” posted Jairam Ramesh, spokesperson for the opposition Congress party on X. BLOOMBERG
