On February 20th, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate, dedicate to the nation, and lay the foundation stone for numerous development projects totaling over Rs 30,500 crore in Jammu. These projects span across various sectors such as health, education, rail, road, aviation, petroleum, civic infrastructure, and more. Additionally, the PM will engage in interactions with beneficiaries of various government schemes as part of the 'Viksit Bharat Viksit Jammu' program.
AIIMS-Jammu
In a step that will provide comprehensive, quality and holistic tertiary care health services to the people of Jammu and Kashmir, the Prime Minister will inaugurate All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Vijaypur (Samba), Jammu. The institute, whose foundational stone was also laid by the Prime Minister in February 2019, is being established under the Central sector scheme Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana.
Established at a cost of over Rs 1,660 crore and in an area spanning over 227 acres, the hospital is equipped with facilities like 720 beds, medical college with 125 seats, nursing college with 60 seats, AYUSH block with 30 beds, residential accommodation for faculty and staff, hostel accommodation for UG and PG students, night shelter, guest house, auditorium, shopping complex, etc. The state-of-the-art hospital will provide high quality patient care services in 18 Specialities and 17 super specialities, including cardiology, gastro-enterology, nephrology, urology, neurology, neurosurgery, medical oncology, surgical oncology, endocrinology, burns & plastic surgery. The institute will have an intensive care unit, an emergency & trauma unit, 20 modular operation theatres, diagnostic laboratories, a blood bank, a pharmacy, etc. The hospital will also leverage digital health infrastructure to reach out to far flung areas of the region.
New terminal building at Jammu Airport
Modi will lay the foundation stone for a new terminal building at the Jammu Airport. To be spread over 40,000 sqm area, the new terminal building will be equipped with modern facilities catering to about 2,000 passengers during peak hours. The new terminal building will be environment friendly and will be built such that it showcases local culture of the region. It will strengthen air connectivity, boost tourism and trade and accelerate economic growth of the region.
Rail projects
The Prime Minister will dedicate to the nation various rail projects in Jammu & Kashmir, including the new rail line between Banihal-Khari-Sumber-Sangaldan (48 Km) and the newly electrified Baramulla-Sringar-Banihal-Sangaldan section (185.66 Km). The PM will also flag off the first electric train in the Valley and also train service between the Sangaldan station and the Baramulla station.
The commissioning of the Banihal-Khari-Sumber-Sangaldan section is significant as it features the usage of Ballast Less Track (BLT) all along the route providing a better riding experience to the passengers. Also, India’s longest transportation tunnel T-50 (12.77 Km) lies in this portion between Khari-Sumber. The rail projects will improve connectivity, ensure environmental sustainability and boost the overall economic development of the region.
Road projects
During the programme, the PM will lay the foundation stone of important road projects, including two packages (44.22 KM) of the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway, connecting Jammu to Katra; Phase two for four-laning of the Srinagar Ring Road; five packages for upgrade of the 161-km Srinagar-Baramulla-Uri stretch of the NH-01; and the construction of the Kulgam Bypass and the Pulwama bypass on the NH-444.
The two packages of the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway, once completed, will facilitate the visit of pilgrims to the holy shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi, and will also boost economic development in the region; The Phase two for four-laning of the Srinagar Ring Road involves upgrade of the existing Sumbal-Wayul NH-1. This 24.7-km project will reduce the traffic congestion in and around the Srinagar city. It will improve connectivity to popular tourist destinations like the Manasbal Lake and the Kheer Bhawani Temple, and also reduce travel time to Leh, Ladakh. The project for upgradate of 161-km long Srinagar-Baramulla-Uri stretch of the NH-01 is of strategic importance. It will also boost the economic development of Baramulla & Uri. The Kulgam Bypass and the Pulwama bypass on the NH-444 connecting Qazigund-Kulgam-Shopian-Pulwama-Badgam-Srinagar will also boost road infrastructure in the region.
Other projects
The prime minister will also inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of several development projects worth more than Rs 3,150 crore for strengthening the civic infrastructure and provisioning of public facilities across Jammu and Kashmir. The projects to be inaugurated include, road projects & bridges, grid stations, transmission line projects; common effluent treatment plants and sewage treatment plants; several degree college buildings; intelligent traffic management system in Srinagar city; and transit accommodation at Ganderbal and Kupwara. The projects whose foundation stone will be laid include development of five new industrial estates across Jammu and Kashmir; data centre/ disaster recovery centre for integrated command and control centre of Jammu Smart City; Up-grade of Transport Nagar at Parimpora Srinagar; Up-grade of 62 road projects and 42 bridges and project for development of transit accommodation-2,816 flats at nine locations in Anantnag, Kulgam, Kupwara, Shopian and Pulwama, etc.
Also Read: The PM will inaugurate projects exceeding Rs 10 lakh crore in UP.
