"Udhampur plays an important role in this," Union Minister Jitendra Singh said

Udhampur: Union Minister of State for Science and Technology and Personnel, Public Grievances Jitendra Singh on Sunday said that soon Kashmir will be soon connected to the rest of the country through a railway network in early 2024.

Earlier today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the mega redevelopment project of 508 railway stations across the country under the Amrit Bharat Station scheme, via video conferencing.

These 508 stations are spread across 27 states and union territories, including 55 each in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, 49 in Bihar, 44 in Maharashtra, 37 in West Bengal, 34 in Madhya Pradesh, 32 in Assam, 25 in Odisha, 22 in Punjab, 21 each in Gujarat and Telangana, 20 in Jharkhand, 18 each in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, 15 in Haryana, 13 in Karnataka among others.

"Kashmir will be connected via train to the rest of the country last this year or early next year. Udhampur plays an important role in this," Jitendra Singh said.

He added that PM Modi today laid the foundation stone for the redevelopment of 508 railway stations, with Udhampur railway station being one of them.

"Overall ₹ 295 crore will be spent on the redevelopment of three stations in J-K, with a maximum amount of ₹ 259 to be spent on Jammu Station, ₹ 20 Crore on Udhampur and ₹ 15.94 crore on the Budgam station of Jammu and Kashmir," he said.

Launching an attack on the previous government he said, "In the previous Government, there is a lack of this type of Leadership. PM Modi launched various projects in J-K for the development of Jammu and Kashmir, especially for the Udhampur district. Udhampur various developments were done under the leadership of Narendra Modi. Earlier governments did not take a keen interest in the development of backward areas.

In a significant development aimed at enhancing the country's railway infrastructure, the Prime Minister virtually laid the foundation stone for the redevelopment of 508 railway stations, with Udhampur Railway Station being one of them.

The mega project is estimated to be worth ₹ 25,000 crore (approx.).

Meanwhile, a special programme was telecasted of the Foundation Stone laying ceremony organized by Railway Authorities on the Campus of Railway Station Udhampur. Dr Jitendra Singh, Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office was the Chief Guest.

Deputy Commissioner Udhampur Sachin Kumar, Chairman District Development Council Udhampur Lal Chand, Senior Superintendent of Police Udhampur, Leaders, Senior Citizens, Students and locals were present on this occasion.

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha also attended the event in Budgam.

The project, a part of the ambitious railway station redevelopment plan, aims to transform and modernize railway stations across the nation, providing state-of-the-art facilities and improved passenger amenities.

Udhampur Railway Station, being one of the selected stations for this prestigious initiative, will witness comprehensive refurbishment to meet the growing demands of commuters and provide a world-class travel experience.