New Delhi, June 6 (IANS) Congress on Friday greeted the people of Jammu and Kashmir and the Indian Railways, saying that the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Line (USBRL) is a “powerful” example of continuity in governance, and also added that the 135 km rail link between Baramulla and Qazigund had become operational by June 26, 2013.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be flagging off the Vande Bharat train service from Katra to Srinagar, and laying the foundation/inaugurating projects worth Rs 46,000, including the Chenab bridge, which is a part of USBRL.

Congress General Secretary in charge of Communications, Jairam Ramesh, took a jibe at the Centre, stating that USBRL’s success involved a great continuity which has not been realised by the current dispensation.

Taking to X, Ramesh made cryptic remarks at the Prime Minister. “Governance involves great continuity, a fact consistently denied by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his perennial desire for self-glory. This is especially true when it comes to the implementation of extraordinarily challenging developmental projects.”

Ramesh shared details about the USBRL history in his post. He wrote that the 272 km long Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Line (USBRL) was initially sanctioned in March 1995 when P.V. Narasimha Rao was Prime Minister. In March 2002, it was declared a national project when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the Prime Minister.

Giving date-wise details and to prove his point, he wrote: “On April 13, 2005, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh inaugurated the 53 km rail link between Jammu and Udhampur. 2. On October 11, 2008 Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh inaugurated the 66 km rail link between Anantnag and Mazhom outside Srinagar. 3. On February 14, 2009, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh inaugurated the 31 km rail link between Mazhom outside Srinagar and Baramulla. 4. On October 29, 2009, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh inaugurated the 18 km rail link between Anantnag and Qazigund. 5. On June 26, 2013, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh inaugurated the 11 km Qazigund to Banihal rail link.”

“This meant that by June 26, 2013 the 135 km rail link between Baramulla and Qazigund had become operational,” he added.

The inauguration of the 25 km rail link between Udhampur and Katra had to be put off because of the election code of conduct for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. It was inaugurated by Prime Minister Modi on July 4, 2014.

Since 2014, the 111 km Katra-Banihal stretch, for which major contracts had been awarded much earlier, has been completed. For instance, contracts for the iconic Chenab Bridge had been awarded by 2005 itself to the Konkan Railway Corporation, Afcons, VSK India, and Ultra Construction and Engineering Ltd of South Korea, Ramesh said.

The Congress leader expressed happiness over the inauguration and said, “The Indian National Congress greets the people of Jammu and Kashmir on this important occasion. It also congratulates the personnel of the Indian Railways, and the public sector and private companies involved in the execution of the USBRL over the past three decades.”

He said the project’s success reflects a collective resolve and success in the face of the gravest of odds.

–IANS

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