Latest news with #ChenabBridge
Japan Times
an hour ago
- Politics
- Japan Times
India's Modi opens strategic railway in contested 'crown jewel' Kashmir
Prime Minister Narendra Modi made his first visit to Kashmir on Friday since a conflict with archrival Pakistan, opening a strategic railway line to the contested region he called "the crown jewel of India." Modi launched a string of projects worth billions of dollars for the divided Muslim-majority territory, the center of bitter rivalry between India and Pakistan since their independence from British rule in 1947. Nuclear-armed India and Pakistan fought a four-day conflict last month, their worst standoff since 1999, before a ceasefire was agreed to on May 10. "Pakistan will never forget ... its shameful loss," the Hindu nationalist premier told crowds a month since India launched strikes on its neighbor after an attack on tourists in Kashmir. "Friends, today's event is a grand festival of India's unity and firm resolve," Modi said after striding across the soaring bridge to formally launch it for rail traffic. "This is a symbol and celebration of rising India," he said of the Chenab Bridge which connects two mountains. New Delhi calls the Chenab span the "world's highest railway arch bridge," sitting 359 meters above a river. While several road and pipeline bridges are higher, Guinness World Records confirmed that Chenab trumps the previous highest railway bridge, the Najiehe in China. Modi called it "an extraordinary feat of architecture" that "will improve connectivity" by providing the first rail link from the Indian plains up to mountainous Kashmir. With 36 tunnels and 943 bridges, the new railway runs for 272 kilometers and connects Udhampur, Srinagar and Baramulla. It is expected to halve the travel time between the town of Katra in the Hindu-majority Jammu region and Srinagar, the main city in Kashmir, to around three hours. The new route will facilitate the movement of people and goods, as well as troops, that was previously possible only via treacherous mountain roads and by air. Around 150 people protested against the project on the outskirts of Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir. "We want to tell India that building bridges and laying roads in the name of development will not make the people of Kashmir give up their demand for freedom," said Azir Ahmad Ghazali, who organized the rally attended by Kashmiris who fled unrest on the Indian side in the 1990s. "In clear and unequivocal terms, we want to say to the Indian government that the people of Kashmir have never accepted India's forced rule." More than 70 people were killed in missile, drone and artillery fire during last month's conflict. The fighting was triggered by an April 22 attack on civilians in Indian-administered Kashmir that New Delhi accused Pakistan of backing, a charge denied by Islamabad. Rebel groups in Indian-run Kashmir have waged an insurgency for 35 years demanding independence for the territory or its merger with Pakistan. Modi also announced further government financial support for families whose relatives were killed, or whose homes were damaged, during the brief conflict — mainly in shelling along the heavily militarized de facto border with Pakistan, known as the Line of Control. "Their troubles are our troubles," Modi said.
CTV News
an hour ago
- General
- CTV News
World's highest railway bridge officially opens in India
Watch The Chenab Bridge sits 350 metres above, and 1,315 metres across the Chenab River in Kashmir.
South China Morning Post
an hour ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
India's Modi opens rail line, with world's ‘highest railway arch' bridge, to contested Kashmir
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made his first visit to Kashmir since a conflict with arch-rival Pakistan, opening a strategic railway line to the contested region he called 'the crown jewel of India'. Modi launched a string of projects worth billions of dollars for the divided Muslim-majority territory, the centre of bitter rivalry between India and Pakistan since their independence from British rule in 1947. Nuclear-armed India and Pakistan fought a four-day conflict last month, their worst stand-off since 1999, before a ceasefire was agreed on May 10. 'Pakistan will never forget … its shameful loss,' the Hindu nationalist premier told crowds on Friday, a month since India launched strikes on its neighbour after an attack on tourists in Kashmir. 'Friends, today's event is a grand festival of India's unity and firm resolve,' Modi said after striding across the soaring bridge to formally launch it for rail traffic. 'This is a symbol and celebration of rising India,' he said of the Chenab Bridge which connects two mountains.
Al Jazeera
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Modi inaugurates strategic railway project in Indian-administered Kashmir
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi has opened one of the country's most ambitious railway projects, which will connect the Kashmir Valley to the vast Indian plains by train for the first time. Dubbed by the government-operated Indian Railways as one of the most challenging tracks in the world, the 272-kilometre (169-mile) line begins in the garrison city of Udhampur in the Jammu region and runs through Indian-administered Kashmir's main city of Srinagar. The line ends in Baramulla, a town near the highly militarised Line of Control dividing the Himalayan region between India and Pakistan. The Indian government has pegged the total project cost at about $5bn. The railway line travels through 36 tunnels and over 943 bridges and will facilitate the movement of people and goods, as well as troops, that was previously possible only via treacherous mountain roads and by air. One of the project's highlights is a 1,315-metre-long (4,314-foot) steel and concrete bridge above the Chenab River connecting two mountains with an arch 359 metres (1,177 feet) above the water. Indian Railways has compared its height with the Eiffel Tower in Paris, which stands 330 metres (1,082 feet), and said the bridge is built to last 120 years and endure extreme weather, including wind speeds up to 260 km/h (161mph). Modi visited the Chenab bridge on Friday with tight security, waving an Indian tri-colour flag before boarding a test train that passed through picturesque mountains and tunnels to reach an inauguration ceremony for another high-elevation bridge named Anji. The railway 'ensures all weather connectivity' and will 'boost spiritual tourism and create livelihood opportunities', Modi said. The prime minister also helped launch a pair of new trains called 'Vande Bharat' that will halve the travel time between Srinagar and the town of Katra in the Jammu region to about three hours from the usual six to seven hours by road. Modi's visit to Indian-controlled Kashmir on Friday is his first since a military conflict between India and Pakistan brought the nuclear-armed rivals to the brink of war last month when the countries fired missiles and drones at each other. The conflict was triggered after a shooting attack in late April that left 26 men, mostly Hindu tourists, dead in Indian-controlled Kashmir. India blamed Pakistan for supporting the attackers, a charge Islamabad denied. India and Pakistan each administer part of Kashmir, but both claim the territory in its entirety. Armed groups in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir have been fighting New Delhi's rule since 1989. Many Muslim Kashmiris support the rebels' goal of uniting the territory, either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country. India insists the Kashmir armed groups are backed by Pakistan, a charge Islamabad denies.
Arab News
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Modi inaugurates ambitious rail project connecting Kashmir to Indian plains
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday inaugurated one of the most ambitious railway projects ever built in India, which will connect the Kashmir Valley to the vast Indian plains by train for the first time. Dubbed by government-operated Indian Railways as one of the most challenging tracks in the world, the 272-kilometer (169-mile) line begins in the garrison city of Udhampur in Jammu region and runs through Indian-administered Kashmir's main city of Srinagar. The line ends in Baramulla, a town near the highly militarized Line of Control dividing the Himalayan region between India and Pakistan. The line travels through 36 tunnels and over 943 bridges. The Indian government pegged the total project cost at around $5 billion. One of the project's highlights is a 1,315-meter-long (4,314-foot) steel and concrete bridge above the Chenab River connecting two mountains with an arch 359 meters (1,177 feet) above the water. Indian Railways compared the height to the Eiffel Tower in Paris, which stands 330 meters (1,082 feet), and said the bridge is built to last 120 years and endure extreme weather, including wind speeds up to 260 kph (161 mph). Modi visited the Chenab bridge with tight security, waving an Indian tri-color flag before boarding a test train that passed through picturesque mountains and tunnels to reach an inauguration ceremony for another high-elevation bridge named Anji. The prime minister also helped launch a pair of new trains called 'Vande Bharat' that will halve the travel time between Srinagar and the town of Katra in Jammu to about three hours from the usual six to seven hours by road. Modi traveled to Indian-administered Kashmir on Friday for the first time since a military conflict between India and Pakistan brought the nuclear-armed rivals to the brink of their third war over the region last month, when the countries fired missiles and drones at each other. The conflict began with a gun massacre in late April that left 26 people, mostly Hindu tourists, dead in Indian-administered Kashmir. India blamed Pakistan for supporting the attackers, a charge Islamabad denied. Addressing a public rally in Katra, Modi lashed out at Pakistan and alleged Islamabad was behind the massacre. He said the attack was primarily aimed at Kashmir's flourishing tourism industry and meant to fuel communal violence. 'I promise you, I won't let developmental activities stop in Kashmir,' Modi said, adding that local industries and businesses will get a boost from the new rail connectivity. The railway project is considered crucial to boosting tourism and bringing development to a region that has been marred by militancy and protests over the years. The line is expected to ease the movement of Indian troops and the public to the disputed region, which is currently connected by flights and mountain roads that are prone to landslides. India and Pakistan each administer part of Kashmir, but both claim the territory in its entirety. Militants in the Indian-administered portion of Kashmir have been fighting New Delhi's rule since 1989. Many Muslim Kashmiris support the rebels' goal of uniting the territory, either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country. India insists the Kashmir militancy is Pakistan-sponsored terrorism, a charge Islamabad denies. Tens of thousands of civilians, rebels and government forces have been killed in the conflict.
