Jammu, 18 May (H.S.): Reflecting a broader shift in the development narrative, the Kathua-Udhampur Parliamentary Constituency in Jammu and Kashmir in over one decade has undergone a visible and measurable transformation.
Represented for a third consecutive term by union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh in the Lok Sabha, the constituency today presents a model of integrated growth from high-impact infrastructure to education, industry, connectivity, pilgrimage facilities, and rural upliftment.
“The last ten years in this constituency having five districts namely Kathua, Udhampur, Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban have changed the development culture and we moved from promises to performance, from files to fieldwork,” said Dr Jitendra Singh.
Highlighting the developmental transformation and infrastructural progress in the constituency, Dr Singh said, “Kathua-Udhampur charts this development journey and the region stands as a living example of how sustained political will, scientific intervention, and infrastructure investment can reshape the destiny of a geographically challenging constituency into a hub of opportunity and progress.”
A defining symbol of this change is the Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee Tunnel on the Jammu-Srinagar highway, inaugurated by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said adding that upcoming Katra-Delhi Expressway is expected to reduce travel time to five to six hours, while the Border Roads Organisation has built over 200 bridges across the constituency.
He further said that in Udhampur, the Rs 190-crore Devika Riverfront Project has rejuvenated the sacred Devika riverfront into a modern urban space, adding, “iconic Atal Setu in Basohli over the Ravi and the Keediyan-Gandyal bridge in Kathua have enhanced regional mobility.”
On rail connectivity he said, “the rail connectivity too has touched new heights with the dedication of the Chenab Rail Bridge, the world’s highest railway bridge, and the introduction of two Vande Bharat trains between Katra and Delhi via Udhampur and Kathua.”
Moreover, he said that Udhampur railway station has been renamed after Shaheed Tushar Mahajan, North India’s first Industrial Biotech Park in Kathua, the BioNEST incubator set up by CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine nurtures innovation at Ghatti in Kathua, foundation stone for Orchid Bio-Pharma in Kathua signals a pharma leap with global footprints.
The Central Minister said that under Aroma Mission, the “Purple Revolution” in Doda, also got a mention in the Prime Minister’s ‘Mann Ki Baat’ and in this mission, farmers were connected to science through which the lavender cultivation changed local economies.
Dr Singh also said that the International Yoga Centre at Mantalai in Udhampur, Mansar Lake’s inclusion in Swadesh Darshan and improved facilities during the Machail Yatra in Kishtwar further reflect inclusive planning.
“A degree college in hilly Paddar under RUSA brought higher education to remote belts while Pakal Dul, Kiru, Kwar, Dul Hasti, and the revived Rattle project, all alone in the Kishtwar district, promise energy security and employment,” he said, adding, “the Shahpur Kandi project in Kathua, revived after decades, is a testament to sustained political follow-up.”
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Hindusthan Samachar / Krishan Kumar
