Kashmir to Kanyakumari used to be just a popular catchphrase for political speeches in India, pointed out union minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari at the CNN-News18 Town Hall in Delhi on Monday. From Manali to Rohtang Pass would earlier take three and a half hours, now it’s just eight minutes, he said.
“Then five tunnel roads are being constructed between Ladakh, Leh; then we have built the Zo-jila tunnel in Kargil, which is about 65-70% completed. It will save about three and a half hours of travel and is 11 kilometres of a picturesque route. From Srinagar to Jammu we are constructing 18 tunnels of which 14 are ready. The Katara road will connect you to Delhi. From there, you can take the Delhi-Mumbai highway and reach Surat," he said. “From Surat, we are building a new road to Nashik, then Ahmednagar, then Solapur, and then Kurnool. And from Kurnool to Thiruvananthapuram, Hyderabad, Kochi, Chennai, Kanyakumari…we are connecting the whole south. The distance between Delhi and Chennai has been reduced by 320 km. And for the first time, there’s a direct expressway link between Kashmir and Kanyakumari."
After the abrogation of Article 370 clauses, Kashmir’s development has accelerated, said the minister.
“IIT, IIM, engineering colleges, etc are coming up. Tunnels and roads are being constructed. Tourism is growing. The number of tourists has doubled. Employment potential has grown. So since the decision on Article 370, J&K’s economic growth has more than doubled," he said.
Earlier hoteliers and other investors couldn’t buy land there, said Gadkari. “Now there is a boom in foreign investment, universities, colleges, research institutes, investment in the apple trade, cold storages, construction of highways, etc. Now 65-70 flights go to Srinagar in a day. Tourists from all over the country go there," he said.
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