World Today

On Wednesday 28th October, 2009, Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh flagged off the 18-km track linking south Kashmir with Srinagar and other places in the north of the kashmir valley. With this, the 129KM railway line in the Kashmir valley is completed.

The new track is believed to be of huge socio-economic and political significance to the militancy-affected Kashmir Valley. The security of the train and the passenger from cross border terrorism and militancy is the main concern of the government now. The stretch is part of the government's Kashmir rail link, which was declared a project of national importance in 2002 by former Prime Minister of India, Atal Behari Vajpayee. Qazigund, about 80 km from Srinagar, is also significant as it will be the highest broad-gauge rail station in the subcontinent at a height of 1,722 metres.

 The Project starts from the city of Udhampur a city 55 kilometres north of Jammu, and travels for 290 kilometres (180 mi) to the city of Baramulla on the northwestern edge of the Kashmir Valley. The route lies on such a climate zone where high snowfall is seen most of the year. The route also passes the major earthquake dangr zones.

 In 1898, the King of Kashmir Maharaja Pratap Singh first came with the idea of linking Jammu and Srinagar (two important places of Kashmir, presently summer and winter capital of Kashmir respectively) by rail. But due to complications with British Governemnt this was suspended.

Then in 1905 Maharaja Pratap Singh approved a rali line between Jammu Srinagar which was now proposed by britsh Government.
In July, 2002 Atal behari Vajpayee, the Prime Minister of India declared this line a national project. This means it had to be completed without looking at the cost. Central government enrolled the budjet to fund this project entirely



On April 13, 2005. Jammu-Udhampur line was connected with US$130 million. The line has 20 major tunnels and 158 bridges



The railway is expected to cross a total of over 750 bridges and pass through over 100 kilometres of tunnels, the longest of which is about 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) in length^. The greatest engineering challenges involve the crossing of the Chenab river which involves building a 1,315 metres (4,310 ft) long bridge 359 metres (1,180 ft) above the river bed, and the crossing of the Anji Khad, which involves building a 657 metres (2,160 ft) long bridge 186 metres (610 ft) above the river bed. (Source: Official webpage of the Konkan Railway Corporation Limited. http://www.konkanrailway.com/website/tender/annexure1.pdf. Retrieved 2008-08-14.) The Chenab Bridge will be the highest railway structure of its kind in the world, 35 m higher than the tip of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

With major highways, airways and now railways is linking Kashmir with India and the world, Pakistan is not happy. The part of Kashmir which Pakistan is holding illegally is becoming a flourishing ground for terrorists and their training camp. Due to lack of infrastructure and due to poverty, people who are trapped in that part of kashmir are trapped forever. This is forcing the young child of the families to join Jehad against India, on doing so these organisations funds their families.

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