Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his way to inaugurate the new rail link in Katra
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today flagged off a new train to Katra, the base town for the Vaishno Devi shrine, on his first visit to Jammu and Kashmir after taking over as Prime Minister.
Mr Modi addressed a gathering after inaugurating the rail link. Here are the highlights:
- Amarnath Yatra going on at one hand and the holy month of Ramzan at the other
- The whole atmosphere is pious, and this inauguration has been done in this atmosphere
- This rail link is dedicated not just to Jammu and Kashmir but to the whole country
- The train is for all those people waiting to come to Mata Vaishno Devi's charan
- This train should be known as the Shri Shakti Express
- I assure you that there will be no shortage or obstacle in the development of Jammu
- The train is not just to commute, it gives birth to development
- We will make Jammu's development more qualitative. Katra will develop very fast.
- The start made by Atal Bihari Vajpayee of connecting Jammu and Kashmir through Railways, we have to take this ahead
- This train would enable pilgrims headed to Vaishno Devi to travel directly to the base camp at Katra
- In one ticket, the passenger can cover travel by train the distance which was earlier covered by train and bus combined
- I agree with the chief minister, we should have a state-of-the-art Railway station
- We aim to have Railway stations that have more facilities than airports
- I assure people of India that we will make our Railway Stations modern with proper facilities
- Private parties will also be ready to invest in this profitable rail link
- This is going to add speed and strength to J&K's development
- Environment-friendly transportation will be encouraged
- Our aim is to win the heart of every citizen of Jammu and Kashmir through development
- I remember I began election campaign from here & today we begin our development journey from here
- Today J&K will get both speed and energy. I am inaugurating this and a power project later today