 "New bridges vital to connectivity in far-flung areas: J&K Lt guv")
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and the Border Roads Organisation on Monday for the construction of 10 vital bridges in Jammu and Kashmir.
Singh inaugurated on Monday the bridges built in strategically key areas of Ladakh, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir.
A majority of these bridges are expected to significantly improve movement of troops in areas along the border with China in Ladakh, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh sectors, according to officials.
"The day is special for J&K as 10 out of the 44 bridges being inaugurated today are for the UT," Sinha said.
He added that the newly-inaugurated bridges would play a crucial role in strengthening the connectivity to the far-flung areas and enhancing the operational efficiency of the defence forces.
The bridges are crucial for the region for rapid development and defence purposes, he said.
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"I strongly believe that bridges are not only critical component of a country's infrastructure, but they connect people and have power to change the destiny of a society and economy of the region," he added.
The prime minister also believes that no nation can progress without giving special attention to infrastructure building, the Lt governor said.
He underlined the significance of newly-inaugurated bridges, saying the bridge on the Bandipora-Gurez road over Dahi Nallah would connect villages that used to remain cut off from even district headquarters for about half a year.
The Madhun Bridge in Rajpura will facilitate the villagers as well as defence forces, the Dandi Bridge in Bhaderwah will help encourage more tourist inflow, according to the Lt governor.
The bridge over Babban Nallah in Samba will facilitate the locals as well as defence forces during peak monsoon. Similarly, the Batha Bridge over Batha Nallah in Samba will also provide much relief to the villagers, as well as the security forces during monsoon, he added.
"Just as one Oresund Bridge helped boost the economy of Denmark. I firmly believe that these 10 bridges will also prove to be a boon for the UT," he said. "I am certain that these bridges will further facilitate journey embarked upon by J&K since August last year," Sinha said.