SRINAGAR: Seven northern states of the country, including Jammu & Kashmir, remain the highest contributors to the armed forces as they account for 72% of veer naris (war widows).
During a recent announcement, the Defence Minister disclosed that the seven northern states of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Jammu-Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh have a total of 10,521 veer naris out of the country’s 14,467, accounting for 72 percent.
“Punjab tops with 2,132 veer naris, which means that most of the soldiers belong to Punjab. Uttar Pradesh has 1,805 followed by Haryana with 1566,” said the Ministry of Defence in the Rajya Sabha on Monday while detailing the state-wise number of veer naris.
Rajasthan had 1,317 veer naris and Uttarakhand, located in the Himalayan region, stood fourth with 1,407. Meanwhile, Jammu & Kashmir UT remained ahead of several big states with 1,218 veer naris. The Ministry of Defence previously shared state-wise representation of troops in the Lok Sabha, revealing that north-western states including Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, and Delhi, along with UTs of Chandigarh and J&K, collectively account for 21.88% of troops and junior commissioned officers (JCOs) in the Army.
JCOs are appointed from the enlisted troops. The total strength of troops and JCOs in the Army is 11.54 lakhs, out of which 2.52 lakhs are from north-western states. Among these, Punjab has the highest contribution with 89,893 troops and JCOs, which constitutes 7.78% of the total strength. However, the Army does not keep a record of the domicile of its current 43,000 officers. This information was revealed in the Lok Sabha, where it was disclosed that the IAF and Navy maintain such records.
Data from the 2011 Census suggests the collective population of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, J&K and Chandigarh constitutes just 7.47% of the country’s population.
Yet, as many as 20,483 (15.85%) of the 1.29 lakh IAF airmen belong to the north-western states. In the case of the Navy, the north-western states have a share of 19.36% among sailors. Overall, the three forces have 13, 41,944 jawans, JCOs, airmen and sailors. The north-western states contribute 2, 84,440 (21.19%) of these.(KNO)
New Delhi: India is free to use its resources to fulfil the energy needs of its people and countries historically responsible for climate change cannot ask it to stop its development, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said on Tuesday.
Addressing an event organised by trade association ASSOCHAM, he said India believes in climate justice which means everyone has access to resources to lead a dignified life.
“When we talk about stopping the use of fossil fuels… We say India is moving towards renewables. But it does not mean that those who historically emitted greenhouse gases for their growth ask us to stop our development.
“We believe in both climate change and climate justice,” Yadav said.
The minister said India wants to fulfil the energy needs of the entire population and bring a change in their lives.
“We do not want to keep anyone in the dark. We have the power and freedom to decide how we use our energy resources. It’s our decision. Those responsible for it (climate change) cannot be telling us what we need to do,” he said.
At COP27 in Egypt’s Sharm El Sheikh, rich nations made a push to include language such as “major emitters” and “top emitters” in the cover text of the UN climate summit in an attempt to “forget or overlook” historical contributions and responsibilities of developed countries to address climate change.
They wanted top 20 emitters, including India and China, to make intense emission cuts (to limit warming to 1.5 degree Celsius).
India had, however, thwarted the attempt to club it with historical emitters and proposed that the parties agree to phasing down all fossil fuels and not just coal.
It had said the developed countries must take the lead in raising ambitions as the bulk of finance and technology is available with them.
In February, the Centre had asked power utilities to not retire coal-fired power plants till 2030 due to a surge in electricity demand.
Yadav said India does not just talk about climate change, it also takes action.
“We are one of the countries which have updated their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). We achieved two of our climate goals — reducing emission intensity of GDP and renewable energy target — set in 2015 ahead of schedule,” he said.
India updated its NDCs in August last year, promising to reduce emissions intensity of GDP by 45 percent by 2030, from the 2005 level, and achieve 50 percent cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel-based energy resources by 2030.
The country diligently worked to achieve the target of 175 GW renewable capacity set during the Paris climate conference in 2015 and has now set a target to increase renewable capacity to 500 gigawatts by 2030.
The minister said India has allocated Rs 35,000 crore in the Union budget for priority capital investment towards energy transition and achieving India’s goal of net zero emissions by 2070.
He said India is home to 17 percent of the global population but accounts for only four percent of global carbon emissions. Developed nations with the same percentage of population account for nearly 60 percent of carbon emissions.
The Earth’s global surface temperature has risen by around 1.15 degrees Celsius as compared to the pre-industrial (1850-1900) average and the CO2 spewed into the atmosphere since the start of the industrial revolution is closely tied to it.
Major damage had already been done before the 1990s when economies like India started to develop, reports suggest.
According to the “Global Carbon Budget Report – 2022”, more than half of the world’s CO2 emissions in 2021 were from three places — China (31 percent), the US (14 percent), and the European Union (eight percent).
Ranking fourth, India accounted for seven percent of global CO2 emissions.
However, at 2.4 tCO2e (tonne carbon dioxide equivalent), India’s per capita greenhouse gas emission is far below the global average of 6.3 tCO2e, according to a report released last year by the United Nations Environment Programme.
Per capita emission in the US (14 tCO2e) is far above the global average, followed by Russia (13 tCO2e), China (9.7 tCO2e), Brazil and Indonesia (about 7.5 tCO2e each), and the European Union (7.2 tCO2e).
Yadav said the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s “Synthesis Report” issued recently warned that no one will be able to stop the impact of climate change if action is not taken in the next few years.
New Delhi: The Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2022 covers amendments related to the power sector and there is no amendment proposal related to the agriculture sector, the Parliament was told on Tuesday.
Power Minister R.K. Singh gave the assurance in response to a question in Lok Sabha during Question Hour.
“Further, the provision of subsidy as in the present Act i.e. Electricity Act, 2003 is not proposed to be changed and the states can continue to give subsidy to farmers and other consumers as they are doing at present,” he said.
As per Electricity Act, 2003, the subsidy to specific categories of consumers including domestic and farmers is decided by state governments.
The proposed legislation is currently under consideration of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Energy, which is headed by BJP MP Jagdambika Pal.
Last year during the Monsoon session, the Electricity (Amendment) Bill was referred to the Parliamentary Committee by the power minister, immediately after being introduced in Lok Sabha, amid protests by opposition that it encroached upon powers of states and allows privatisation of electricity on the lines of communication sector.
Visakhapatnam: Andhra Pradesh State Industries and IT Minister Gudivada Amarnath unveiled the new industrial policy of the state governments in Visakhapatnam on Monday.
He also launched the YSR AP1 app related to industrial permits.
IT Minister Gudivada Amarnath said that Chief Miniter Jagan Mohan Reddy’s government has given priority in this new industrial policy to the sectors neglected by the previous governments. YSR has also launched a new app called AP1 to grant 96 clearances required for setting up industries in just 21 days.
The YSR AP1 centre will be made available as the Visakhapatnam and sub-centres will be set up in the district industry centres in the remaining districts of the state. Those who are interested in setting up industries in the state have been informed that they will be allotted land within 21 days. The state’s industrial development will be extended to all the districts.
Warehousing in the state has been given the status of the industry and incorporated into the new industrial policy. We are mainly bringing low-cost, low-risk business policies to the state. I appealed to the industrialists to take advantage of this industrial policy and contribute to the economic progress of the state.
Karikala Vallavan, Special Chief Secretary of the Industries Department, said why industries should be set up in Andhra Pradesh?, What are the specialities here? , A new industrial policy has been designed so that the entrepreneurs know about other aspects.
The central government has recognized that the industrial policy of Andhra Pradesh and the reforms undertaken by the government in this sector is good. The industrialists came forward to invest 13 lakh crore rupees only after inquiring about the industrial policy of the state, added Karikala Vallavan.
He also advised the industrialists to gather information about which countries need which goods and make products accordingly.
Director Industries Department Sujana said that plug-and-play facilities has been included in the new industrial policy operation guidelines. He said that priority has been given to port-based industries in the new industrial policy.
Sridhar, Adviser of the State Industries Department, Sravani Shipping Head Sambasiva Rao, APIDC Chairperson Bandi Punyasheela, and CII Vice President Muralikrishna also participated in this meeting.
West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee. (File photo/ANI)
Kolkata: The defeat in the recent bypoll to the Sagardighi Assembly constituency in Murshidabad district, which hinted at substantial erosion of a dedicated vote-bank in the minority-dominated erstwhile Trinamool Congress stronghold, has prompted Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to replace the minister in charge of minority affairs and madrasa education and take charge of the same herself.
The decision to remove Ghulam Rabbani as the minority affairs minister was announced on Monday, when it was also said that the affairs of the department will now be under the purview of the Chief Minister. Rabbani has been transferred to the horticulture department.
The current minister of state in charge of MSMEs and textiles department, Chandranath Sinha, has been given the additional charge of minister of state for minority affairs and madrasa education.
In the Sagardighi bypoll, Left Front supported Congress candidate Bayron Biswas had defeated Trinamool’s Debashis Banerjee by a margin of 22,980 votes. The result came as a shocker for Trinamool, as Sagardighi — a minority-dominated constituency — was a traditional stronghold of the ruling party, where it won by big margins since 2011.
Recently, Trinamool had also reshuffled the party’s minority cell.
Now the Chief Minister herself taking charge of the minority affairs and madrasa education department becomes significant in West Bengal’s evolving political situation.
New Delhi: Power Minister Atishi on Monday alleged that a conspiracy is being hatched to stop the free electricity scheme that Delhi government is providing to the people of the national capital.
“The scheme which has been a huge success is being obstructed by some officials in connivance with Lt. Governor V.K. Saxena. To investigate the matter further and to find out the truth behind the conspiracy, a special audit of the accounts of all the electricity companies of Delhi for the last 8 years will be conducted by the CAG auditor,” she said.
Atishi also noted that the officials have removed experts appointed by the government on the boards of power companies in a hurry, and this has raised questions about the nexus between the officials of LG and the power companies.
Addressing the media, she also questioned the removal of chartered accountants and power sector experts from the boards of power companies.
“Why is the file related to free electricity not being shown to the elected government of Delhi? Are the LG and the officials conniving with the power companies and hatching some big conspiracy?” Atishi asked.
Atishi said that a special audit of power companies will expose the conspiracies to stop the free electricity being given to the people of Delhi by the Arvind Kejriwal government. It will be clear from the special audit that the money given to the power companies for free electricity has not been misused, she added.
“The file related to the scheme which came out from the LG office 15 days ago, has yet to reach the Chief Minister, the Electricity Minister, or the cabinet. This delay is highly suspicious and suggests that a significant conspiracy is underway to obstruct the provision of free electricity to the people of Delhi.
“The deliberate hiding of such an essential file from the Chief Minister and the cabinet raises alarming questions. Why are some officials preventing the file from reaching the concerned authorities? Is there any attempt to prevent the continuation of the free electricity scheme in Delhi?” Atishi said.
SRINAGAR: The Government of India (GoI) is planning to set up an international-level Railway Training Academy in Jammu to educate the technical staff and engineers of the department to develop an understanding of new mountains and Himalayan formations.
As per the news agency KNO, this was revealed by Union Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw, while addressing a press conference at the world’s highest railway bridge here, after conducting an inspection of the track and tunnels on a track-mounted vehicle on the second leg of his two-day Jammu & Kashmir visit.
“I met the Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and discussed the land for Cargo Terminals. Land for three is already identified and for the remaining one, the process is in progress,” he said, adding that Cargo Terminals will be of great help in transporting (import-export) the goods in a shorter time and at cheaper transportation cost.
The minister said that the construction work on this bridge started somewhere around 2005-06 but when Prime Minister Narendra Modi took over in 2014, he reviewed the project, which is very close to his heart and he desired the design of the bridge for more than 100 years.
“Taking all ifs and buts in mind, the bridge is made in such a way that it is designed for 120 years, which is a big achievement for the entire country. The nation must be proud of our engineers, who transformed the dream into a reality,” he said.
He further said that there were several engineering challenges involved in the projects but the most important was the ‘willpower’ of the leadership. “The willpower of the leadership matters a lot especially when PM Modi took the project into his hands with timely reviews, monitoring, and discussions that made us more encouraged and determined to accomplish the target. Leadership makes a difference,” he said.
The minister said that among others, the foundation design was also one of the major challenges in this project, secondly was the construction of tunnels in the young mountains of the Himalayas.
Earlier, there was only one reliable tunnelling method known as New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM) which was accepted worldwide, but it was not suitable for our young mountains, he said, adding, “Our finest brains of our country develop indigenous Himalayan Tunnelling Method’ (HTM) to build tunnels in the Himalayas”.
“A team of engineers desired that the HTM papers be published in journals and the technicalities be adopted worldwide,” he said, adding that the issues of gases in the mountains at the time of tunnelling, were also taken under consideration to prevent fire incidents,” he said.
Stating that the duration from Jammu to Kashmir will be reduced to 3 to 4 hours after the start of the connectivity, Vaishnaw said, “Vande Metro trains from Jammu to Srinagar and vice versa will also start very soon that will actually and practically convert both the cities into one.”
“Many rail projects into the Himalayan region are under progress and few are coming up, the Minister said that four PM Gati Shakti Cargo Terminals are also coming up in the Kashmir valley (between Banihal to Baramulla) for transportation of Kashmiri items to the rest of the country,” he maintained.
“Everything would be smooth, especially game changer for apple farmers after PM’s ambitious Gati Shakti Cargo Terminals become optional, as farmers easily and affordably transport their crops in any part of the country,” he said, adding, “Similarly many goods including cement, steel will become cheaper in J&K, once transportation fare came down.”
On challenges in the North East, he said, “with challenges viewpoint related to topography, we face some similar challenges but after the completion of this project, the challenges faced in this project and the lessons learned can be shared in the North East projects and the similar can be implemented in this region from the eastern parts of the country.”
Replying to a query concerning Jammu-Poonch Rail Link and making Jammu Railway Station a Division, the minister said, “It is a very difficult terrain but very soon new projects will be undertaken. And, special arrangements will also be made and other technicalities will be looked into for converting Jammu into a Division.”
Vaishnaw also said that with tourism, three spots have been identified from where the bridge is visible and they will be developed as tourist destinations to tap the potential of the region.
He however, on water effects on the nearby villages with the project said, “It is an important aspect and is taken into consideration while a team of WAPCOS (Water and Power Consultancy Services Limited), is already having a detailed scientific study.”
Claiming that the construction of the world’s highest rail bridge on river Chenab is done on a ‘fix it, forget it’ basis
The bridge stands 359 meters above the river bed level and is 35 meters higher than the Eiffel Tower in France, making it the highest in the world.
“As far as the maintenance part is concerned, this project is very very important. The tracks and tunnels are planned and designed in such a way that it requires least maintenance as possible,” the Railways Minister told reporters during a press conference after inspecting the bridge in Reasi district.
The minister said our engineers can get training and learn more about this project so that along with getting skilled, the maintenance, model, and experience of Chenab bridge’s construction can also be utilized in projects in progress or coming up in other parts of the country.
He further revealed that this (Chenab) rail bridge is designed with Richter scale 8 seismic activity. “The foundation has been designed practically which is half the size of a football field,” he said.
The minister said that 28,000 tonnes of steel is used and the welding is around 600 km. “All safety and security measures are taken into consideration. It is a very tough and strong bridge,” he said.
As part of connecting Kashmir to every part of the country, the work on one of the most strategic projects–the 272-km long–Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link Project(USBRL), has been expedited and is expected to be completed before the 2024 Parliament elections to dedicate the facility to the people of the nation.
Declared a “National Project” in 2002, the Project involves 38 Tunnels (combined length of 119 km), the longest tunnel (T-49) having a length of 12.75 Km, and is the country’s longest transportation tunnel.
There are 927 Bridges (combined length of 13 Km), which include the iconic Chenab Bridge (Overall length of 1315 m, Arch span of 467 m, and height of 359 m above river bed) which will be the highest railway bridge in the world. Indian railway’s first cable-stayed bridge is also being constructed on Anji Khad. (KNO)
Netanyahu’s dismissal of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant signaled that the prime minister and his allies will barrel ahead this week with the overhaul plan. Gallant had been the first senior member of the ruling Likud party to speak out against it, saying the deep divisions were threatening to weaken the military.
In a brief statement, Netanyahu’s office said late Sunday the prime minister had dismissed Gallant. Netanyahu later tweeted “we must all stand strong against refusal.”
Tens of thousands of Israelis poured into the streets in protest after Netanyahu’s announcement, blocking Tel Aviv’s main artery, transforming the Ayalon highway into a sea of blue-and-white Israeli flags and lighting a large bonfire in the middle of the road.
Demonstrations took place in Beersheba, Haifa and Jerusalem, where thousands of people gathered outside Netanyahu’s private residence. Police scuffled with protesters and sprayed the crowd with a water cannon.
Inon Aizik, 27, said he came to demonstrate outside Netanyahu’s private residence in central Jerusalem because “bad things are happening in this country,” referring to the judicial overhaul as “a quick legislative blitz.”
Netanyahu’s decision came less than a day after Gallant, a former senior general, called for a pause in the controversial legislation until after next month’s Independence Day holidays, citing the turmoil in the ranks of the military.
Gallant had voiced concerns that the divisions in society were hurting morale in the military and emboldening Israel’s enemies. “I see how the source of our strength is being eroded,” Gallant said.
While several other Likud members had indicated they might follow Gallant, the party quickly closed ranks on Sunday, clearing the way for his dismissal.
Galit Distal Atbaryan, Netanyahu’s public diplomacy minister, said that Netanyahu summoned Gallant to his office and told him “that he doesn’t have any faith in him anymore and therefore he is fired.”
Gallant tweeted shortly after the announcement that “the security of the state of Israel always was and will always remain my life mission.”
Opposition leader Yair Lapid said that Gallant’s dismissal “harms national security and ignores warnings of all defense officials.”
Israel’s consul general in New York City, Assaf Zamir, resigned in protest.
Avi Dichter, a former chief of the Shin Bet security agency, is expected to replace him. Dichter had reportedly flirted with joining Gallant but instead announced Sunday he was backing the prime minister.
Netanyahu’s government is pushing ahead for a parliamentary vote this week on a centerpiece of the overhaul — a law that would give the governing coalition the final say over all judicial appointments. It also seeks to pass laws that would grant parliament the authority to override Supreme Court decisions with a basic majority and limit judicial review of laws.
Netanyahu and his allies say the plan will restore a balance between the judicial and executive branches and rein in what they see as an interventionist court with liberal sympathies.
But critics say the constellation of laws will remove the checks and balances in Israel’s democratic system and concentrate power in the hands of the governing coalition. They also say that Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption charges, has a conflict of interest.
Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets over the past three months to demonstrate against the plan in the largest demonstrations in the country’s 75-year history.
Leaders of Israel’s vibrant high-tech industry have said the changes will scare away investors, former top security officials have spoken out against the plan and key allies, including the United States and Germany, have voiced concerns.
In recent weeks discontent has even surged from within Israel’s army – the most popular and respected institution among Israel’s Jewish majority. A growing number of Israeli reservists, including fighter pilots, have threatened to withdraw from voluntary duty in the past weeks.
Israel’s military is facing a surge in fighting in the occupied West Bank, threats from Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group and concerns that archenemy Iran is close to developing a nuclear-weapons capability.
Violence both in Israel and the occupied West Bank has escalated over the past few weeks to heights unseen in years.
Manuel Trajtenberg, head of an influential Israeli think tank, the Institute for National Security Studies, said, “Netanyahu can dismiss his defense minister, he cannot dismiss the warnings he heard from Gallant.”
Meanwhile, an Israeli good governance group on Sunday asked the country’s Supreme Court to punish Netanyahu for allegedly violating a conflict of interest agreement meant to prevent him from dealing with the country’s judiciary while he is on trial for corruption.
The Movement for Quality Government in Israel, a fierce opponent of the overhaul, asked the court to force Netanyahu to obey the law and sanction him either with a fine or prison time for not doing so. It said he was not above the law.
“A prime minister who doesn’t obey the court and the provisions of the law is privileged and an anarchist,” said Eliad Shraga, the head of the group, echoing language used by Netanyahu and his allies against protesters opposed to the overhaul. “The prime minister will be forced to bow his head before the law and comply with the provisions of the law.”
The prime minister responded saying the appeal should be dismissed and said that the Supreme Court didn’t have grounds to intervene.
Netanyahu is barred by the country’s attorney general from directly dealing with his government’s plan to overhaul the judiciary, based on a conflict of interest agreement he is bound to, and which the Supreme Court acknowledged in a ruling over Netanyahu’s fitness to serve while on trial for corruption. Instead, Justice Minister Yariv Levin, a close confidant of Netanyahu, is spearheading the overhaul.
But on Thursday, after parliament passed a law making it harder to remove a sitting prime minister, Netanyahu said he was unshackled from the attorney general’s decision and vowed to wade into the crisis and “mend the rift” in the nation. That declaration prompted the attorney general, Gali Baharav-Miara, to warn that Netanyahu was breaking his conflict of interest agreement.
The fast-paced legal and political developments have catapulted Israel into uncharted territory and toward a burgeoning constitutional crisis, said Guy Lurie, a research fellow at the Israel Democracy Institute, a Jerusalem think tank.
“We are at the start of a constitutional crisis in the sense that there is a disagreement over the source of authority and legitimacy of different governing bodies,” he said.
Netanyahu is on trial for charges of fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three separate affairs involving wealthy associates and powerful media moguls. He denies wrongdoing and dismisses critics who say he will try to seek an escape route from the charges through the legal overhaul.
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( With inputs from : www.politico.com )
Srinagar, Mar 26: The Minister of Railways, Ashwini Vaishnaw conducted the first trial run on a track-mounted vehicle on the world’s highest railway bridge at Bakkal-Kauri over the river Chenab, in Pir Panjal mountain range of Reasi district of Jammu.
The trial run marks a significant milestone in the completion of the Udhampur-Katra-Srinagar-Baramulla rail link, which will for the first time in history connect the Kashmir valley to New Delhi and the rest of India by train in January 2024. The Chenab Bridge, which is a part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link project, is being anticipated as one of the most magnificent train journeys in the future. After the successful trial run of the track-mounted vehicle, the bridge will soon be operational.
The Minister of Railways was accompanied by Ashutosh Gangal, General Manager, Northern Railway, and other senior officials of U.S.B.R.L. Project & Northern Railway during his official inspection visit to the world’s highest Chenab Bridge.
While talking to the media on the sideline of the trolley run on Chenab bridge the Minister of Railways, Communications, Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India, Ashwini Vaishnaw as per GNS said, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has put a laser-sharp focus on the development of the country, the Chenab bridge, all these tunnels, and this will become a lifeline for Jammu and Kashmir. “He further added that the project will connect the Srinagar district with the rest of the country, and it is a very important strategic development.”
“We are creating a special training academy in Jammu. Wherever our engineers and technicians require training, they can come to this project and have the training, and other parts of the country can also benefit from this project,” said Vaishnaw.
“The completion of the Udhampur-Katra-Srinagar-Baramulla rail link project will not only boost tourism in the region but will also provide a reliable and safe mode of transportation for people traveling to and from the Kashmir valley. It will also open up new opportunities for economic development in the region.”
“The project has been a top priority for the government and with the successful trial run of the Chenab Bridge, the completion of the project is now closer than ever before,” he added. (GNS)
Union Railway Minister addressing a press conference in Jammu
Jammu: Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Sunday said a Vande Bharat Metro train will be operated between Jammu and Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir once the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link Project (USBRL) becomes fully operational.
Addressing media persons at the first run of a track-mounted trolley on the world’s highest arch bridge constructed on the Chenab river, he said the USBRL project will be completed by December this year or January 2024.
Union Minister of Railways, Communications and Electronics & Information Technology @AshwiniVaishnaw addressing a press conference at Srinagar discussing the infrastructure related works on the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link (USBRL) projects.@RailMinIndiapic.twitter.com/0SIlFc51my
— PIB in Jammu Kashmir & Ladakh (@PIBSrinagar) March 25, 2023
Vaishnaw travelled on the track-mounted trolley with railway officials and inspected the iconic bridge having a height of 359 meters from the Chenab riverbed.
Vaishnaw said it has been decided to set up a Vande Bharat Express train maintenance facility at Badgam in the Kashmir Valley and in the first go Vande Bharat Metro will be run between Jammu and Srinagar cities once this important railway link, which will connect the Kashmir Valley with the rest of the country through rail network gets completed.
The iconic bridge having a foundation equal to half the football field is a “subject of pride” and it was a “difficult challenge of engineering”, he said, adding that more than 28,000 metric tonnes of steel were used for the bridge structure that is built in a highly active seismic zone.
The Northern Railway officials said the arch bridge was constructed at a cost of Rs 1,486 crore. The deck height of the bridge is 359 meters, while its length is 1,315 meters. The arch bridge has 17 spans and the linear length of the main arch span is 460 meters and it is curvilinear, they said.
The codal life of the bridge is 120 years and the bridge can withstand a wind speed of 266 kmph, but the train can cross the bridge at the speed of 100 kmph.
