Katra, June 6 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to flag off the Vande Bharat train service from Katra to Srinagar on Friday and also launch projects worth Rs 46,000.

Ahead of the mega launch, people in Katra are excited and eagerly looking forward to the launch of Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway railway Line (USBRL), which will mark a new developmental dawn for the Union Territory.

PM Modi will also flag off Vande Bharat train from Katra. This will provide all-weather connectivity to the valley with rest of the country.

There is a wave of happiness among the locals as they are excited to see PM Modi and are also happy because the project holds much potential for reviving tourism in the valley.

Many locals spoke to IANS and shared views on how the project will reshape their lives.

Local resident Gurmeet Sharma said that there will be a lot of benefits from the launch of Vande Bharat trains.

“Tourism will increase. It is a happy moment for all of us because after the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, tourists stopped coming to this place,” he said.

He further said, “PM Modi will give the gift of Vande Bharat. We are all waiting for him. We have full faith that the operation of Vande Bharat train will greatly benefit our tourism. The tourists coming here will benefit a lot.”

Rajinder Singh said, “we are very happy that Vande Bharat train will run from Katra to Srinagar. Work on this scheme was going on for a long time. Work on this scheme has been done rapidly under Modi government.”

Anil Sharma said that the residents are excited and elated over the launch of Vande Bharat train from their city.

Notably, this is PM Modi’s first visit to Jammu and Kashmir after Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, which left 26 people dead.

PM Modi will rewrite history today, by realising the over 70-year long dream of the people in Kashmir for whom the journey from the landlocked Valley to the rest of the country always looked a distant prospect.

–IANS

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