Tuesday, 14 January 2025
Tuesday, 14 January 2025
Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah expressed confidence that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will restore statehood of J&K besides praising him for fulfilling his promise to hold violence free elections in the region and his efforts in bridging the gap between "Dil (heart) and Delhi.”
"Prime minister, when you came to Srinagar for a programme after getting a third term (in office), people started believing your words. You talked about three important things which included your efforts to bridge 'Dil ki duri aur Delhi se duri', and you have proved it by your work.
You also promised (assembly) elections within four months and you stayed true to your words. People got an opportunity to take part in the voting and today I am participating in this programme as chief minister."
The two leaders attended a ceremony on Monday to inaugurate the Sonamarg Tunnel. The 6.5-km stretch, constructed at a cost of over ₹2,700 crore, enhances all-weather connectivity between Srinagar and Sonamarg.
The project is part of the 12-km-long Tunnel project. Along with the Zojila Tunnel, set for completion by 2028, the project is expected to reduce the route length from 49 km to 43 km and boost vehicle speed from 30 km/hr to 70 km/hour.
Union minister Nitin Gadkari, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha also attended the inauguration ceremony.
Referring to Modi's speech during his visit to Srinagar on International Yoga Day last year, the chief minister said, "My heart says that very soon, you will fulfil your third promise to the people of Jammu and Kashmir which is the restoration of statehood to the Union Territory."
The chief minister's statehood remark in the presence of the prime minister was welcomed by the audience with a round of applause.
Abdullah said the biggest positive of the election was that there was no complaint of rigging, misuse of official machinery or repoll anywhere and "the credit for it goes to you, your team and the Election Commission of India".
The chief minister said people, including his colleagues, ask him about statehood restoration. "I tell them that the prime minister kept his promise of elections and so my heart says that very soon, you will fulfil your third promise as well and Jammu and Kashmir will once again get the status of a state." Abdullah read out the names of the seven victims in last year's terror attack near the tunnel and said they sacrificed their lives for this project and the development of Jammu and Kashmir and the country.
"I belong to a political regime whose thousands of leaders and workers have been killed in the last 35 years because we were... not ready to see the country being divided,” the chief minister said.
The PM assured that he would keep promises made to the people of Jammu and Kashmir without mentioning the demand for restoration of statehood in Jammu and Kashmir. His comments came during a public meeting following the inauguration of the strategically important Z-Morh tunnel — soon after CM Abdullah commented on the issue.
Modi told the gathering, "You have to believe that this is Modi and he keeps his promises." "There is a right time for everything and right things will happen at the right time.”
Modi said that Jammu and Kashmir is the crown of the country and he wants it to be beautiful and prosperous.
"There is an atmosphere of peace in Jammu and Kashmir and we have seen its effect on tourism. Kashmir is writing a new saga of development today," he said.
Union minister Nitin Gadkari, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Abdullah were also present at the inauguration.
The construction of this tunnel was necessary for providing an all-weather road to the Ladakh region because Z-Morh road in Gagangir is prone to avalanches. The scheduled date for completion of the Zojila tunnel is 2028.
