Complimenting people of the State on the inauguration of Chenani-Nashri tunnel, Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti has hoped that the tunnel would not only minimize the distances between Jammu and Srinagar but also prove to be a harbinger of bridging the psychological barriers between the people of the State and rest of the country.The Chief Minister said this while addressing a largely attended public meeting here today which was also addressed by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.Earlier, the Prime Minister inaugurated the 9.2 KM long tunnel on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway at Chenani. Governor N N Vohra, Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister of State in Prime Minister’s Office, Dr Jitendra Singh, Deputy Chief Minister, Dr Nirmal Singh, Legislators Dr Dina Nath Baghat and Neelam Kumar Langeh besides officials of MoRTH, National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), IL&FS Infrastructure and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.Mehbooba Mufti said youth of the State who have gone through a tough phase of uncertainty and gloom need to be reached out to get Jammu and Kashmir out of the present phase of difficulties and desolation.
She said people of the State expect Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, who she said exhibits the unparalleled determination of taking bold decisions, to help them in taking Jammu & Kashmir out of these uncertain situations and build a prosperous future for them.Thanking the Prime Minister for all out support to the State Government, the Chief Minister said a lot has happened in J&K due to the support of the Central Government but a lot still remains to be done. She said the ‘Agenda of Alliance’ reached out between PDP and BJP has received the endorsement of the people of the State and the country, who now eagerly await, its time bound implementation. This, she added, would not only bring an end to the miseries of the people here but also strengthen their faith in the country’s democratic discourse thereby helping them in rejecting the path of violence and acrimony.Ms Mehbooba said few days back a group of tour operators of Kashmir Valley met her and requested to extend an invitation to the Prime Minister to visit Kashmir so that a message of hospitality goes out to the tourists within and outside the country.
Mehbooba Mufti said the basic objective for the two parties to come together in Jammu & Kashmir was to usher in an era of massive development in the State besides taking it out of its perennial miseries and problems. Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Nitin Gadkari; Union Minister of State for DoNER, Dr Jitendra Singh and Deputy Chief Minister, Dr Nirmal Singh also addressed the gathering.Earlier, on his arrival at the Udhampur Airport, Prime Minister, Narendra Modi was received by N N Vohra, Governor, Mehbooba Mufti, Chief Minister, Kavinder Gupta, Speaker, Legislative Assembly, Haji Anayat Ali, Chairman, Legislative Council, Dr Nirmal Singh, Deputy Chief Minister, Chander Parkash Ganga, Minister for Industries & Commerce, Bali Bhagat, Minister for Health & Medical Education, Choudhary Lal Singh, Minister for Forest, Environment & Ecology, Chering Dorjay, Minister for Cooperatives and Ladakh Affairs, Sham Lal Choudhary, Minister for PHE, I&FC, Naeem Akhtar, Minister for Public Works (R&B), Abdul Ghani Kohli, Minister for Animal/Sheep Husbandry & Fisheries, Sunil Kumar Sharma, Minister of State for Transport (Independent charge), Revenue, Public Works (Roads & Buildings), Rural Development & Panchayati Raj, Agriculture Production, YSS, Priya Sethi, Minister of State for Education, Technical Education, Culture, Tourism, Department of Horticulture, Floriculture and Parks, Ajay Nanda, Minister of State for Finance and Planning, Information Technology, Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Jugal Kishore Sharma, Member of Parliament, Shamsher Singh Manhas, Member of Parliament, Sat Sharma, MLA (State President, BJP), Ashok Khajuria, MLC, Ajatshatru Singh, MLC, B R Sharma, Chief Secretary, J&K, Lieutenant General D Anbu, GOC-in-C Northern Command, S P Vaid, Director General of Police, J&K, Sachchiclanand Shrivastava, Special DG, CRPF, Dr Pawan Kotwal, Divisional Commissioner, Jammu and other dignitaries.