PM postpones visit to Kashmir for opening railway line

New Delhi, Oct 11 (PTI) Indian Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh has postponed by over a week his planned visit to
Kashmir, during which he will inaugurate a 12-km railway line
connecting Anantnag and Qazigund that will mark the completion
of the rail project in the valley.

The Prime Minister was scheduled to visit the state on
October 18 but it had to be postponed because of the
non-availability of Indian Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee,
official sources said.

Singh, who is expected to tour the state for two days, is
now likely to be there on October 27. During his visit, he is
expected to review the railway project connecting the Kashmir
valley with Jammu region, the sources said.

He may also review the Dal project besides progress in
other developmental schemes under the Prime Minister's
Reconstruction Plan.

The Prime Minister had inaugurated the 66-km long
section from Anantnag to Mazhom last year. Congress party
President Sonia Gandhi had earlier this year inaugurated the
35-km-long Mazhom-Baramulla line, part of the 119-Km
Qazigund-Baramulla railway line.

An amount of Rs 2,551 crore has been incurred on the
Qazigund-Baramulla railway link till end of December last
year.

Singh, who was also present at the inauguration early
this year, had said the line was bound to catalyse economic
growth in the Kashmir valley with the availability of cheaper
and more reliable transport. PTI SKL
ANU