65-70 Flights to Srinagar Daily; Post-Article 370, J&K’s Development Sped Up: Gadkari at CNN-News18 Town Hall

Kashmir to Kanyakumari used to be just a popular slogan for political discourses in India, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari pointed out at CNN-News18 Town Hall in Delhi on Monday. From Manali to Rohtang Pass it would have earlier taken three and a half hours, now it is only eight minutes, he said.

Then five tunnel roads are built between Ladakh and Leh; then we build the Zo-jila Tunnel in Kargil, which is 65-70% completed. It will save about three and a half hours of travel and 11 kilometers of scenic road. From Srinagar to Jammu we are doing With the construction of 18 tunnels, 14 of them are ready. The Katara road will connect you to Delhi. From there, you can take the Delhi-Mumbai highway and reach Surat.” From Surat, we are building a new road to Nashik, then Ahmednagar, then Solapur, then Kurnool. And from Kurnool to Thiruvananthapuram, Hyderabad, Kochi, Chennai, Kanyakumari…we connect the entire south. The distance between Delhi and Chennai has been reduced by 320 kilometres. For the first time, there is a direct highway link between Kashmir and Kanyakumari.”

The minister said that after the abrogation of the provisions of Article 370, development in Kashmir has accelerated.

“IIT, IIM, engineering colleges, etc. Tunnels and roads are under construction. Tourism is growing. Tourists have doubled. Employment potential has grown. So since the decision on Article 370, J&K’s economic growth has doubled.”

Gadkari said that earlier hoteliers and other investors were unable to buy land there. “Now there is a boom in foreign investment, universities, colleges, research institutes, investment in apple business, cold stores, highway construction, etc. Now 65-70 flights go to Srinagar in a single day. Tourists of all ages come here,” he said. All over the country they are going there.”