Jammu, April 14: Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit to Katra on April 19 to flag off the first train to Kashmir, Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police (DGP) Nalin Prabhat on Monday chaired a high-level meeting to review the region’s security arrangements.
The DGP held detailed deliberations with senior officers and directed them to ensure “foolproof security” for the high-profile visit, officials told Kashmir News Observer (KNO).
The Special Protection Group (SPG), responsible for the Prime Minister’s security, has already taken control of the venue in Katra, where Modi will formally inaugurate the long-awaited railway service between Katra and Srinagar. The event will also see the inauguration of the Chenab bridge — touted as the highest railway bridge in the world.
Calling the bridge an “unparalleled” feat of engineering, Modi is expected to mark the completion of the Udhampur–Srinagar–Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project, which will establish full rail connectivity between the Kashmir Valley and the rest of India.
Railway officials said that a Vande Bharat train will initially operate on the Katra-Srinagar stretch, reducing the travel time to just over three hours. Currently, road journeys between the two regions take six to seven hours.
Trial runs on the new rail route have been underway for over two months. Until now, services in Kashmir have remained restricted to the Sangaldan-Baramulla section, while long-distance trains terminated at Katra.
The Chenab bridge, built in an earthquake-prone area, stands 35 meters taller than the Eiffel Tower and contains around 29,000 tonnes of steel. Engineers designed it to withstand tremors up to magnitude eight, officials noted.
