Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday inaugurated the world’s highest railway bridge over the Chenab river, which was completed at a cost of Rs 1,486 crore in more than eight years.The prime minister then walked on the bridge holding the tricolour.After the Chenab bridge, Modi inaugurated India’s first cable-stayed rail bridge over the river Anji.Before the inauguration, Modi travelled in a rail engine coach to reach the spot.Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah were present on the occasion.At a rally in Katra after the inauguration, Modi said the inauguration of mega infrastructure projects marks a turning point in Jammu and Kashmir’s development journey. The state-of-the-art Chenab bridge will improve connectivity between Jammu and Srinagar, he said.“The saying ‘from Kashmir to Kanyakumari’ has become reality in rail network also,” the prime minister said after inaugurating the Kashmir rail link.He described the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail line as a symbol of new, empowered Jammu and Kashmir and a resounding proclamation of India’s growing strength. The Chenab and Anji bridges will serve as gateways to prosperity for Jammu and Kashmir, he added.“Today the dream of lakhs of people of J&K has been fulfilled. All the good work is indeed left for me only to complete. It is the good fortune of our government that this project gained momentum during our tenure, and we completed it… This was a challenging project to complete, but our government always chooses the path of challenging the challenge itself. The all-weather projects being built in J&K are an example of this,” Modi said.
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