Srinagar, 7 March: Wearing Modi masks and chanting Modi, scores of people from across Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday reached Srinagar?s Bakshi Stadium here to attend Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally.
In his first visit to Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370, Modi will unveil multiple development projects worth more than ?6,400 crore, address a public meeting, and participate in the ?Viksit Bharat, Viksit Jammu Kashmir? programme at the stadium.
Hundreds of BJP supporters, wearing tricoloured turbans, also reached the venue while security personnel had a tough time managing the crowd.
Officials said tight security arrangements were in place but there were no restrictions on the movement of people.
Life was normal across the Kashmir valley and most of the shops and other business establishments were open here. The officials said there were no restrictions on the movement of the people in any part of the valley, except for traffic diversions around the venue of the PM?s rally.
?People are being allowed to move and there are no restrictions anywhere in Kashmir. The Traffic Police has announced some diversions for traffic around the venue, but other than that, there are no restrictions on the movement of the people,? they added.
Traffic movement on the city?s Jehangir Chowk to Rambagh and Rajbagh to LD Hospital-Tulsi Bagh route has been restricted from 4 am to 7 pm given the VVIP visit, the officials said.
They said the Jahangir Chowk-Solina-Ram Bagh stretch also remains restricted for the civilian traffic movement.
Similarly, Raj Bagh-LD Hospital-Tulsi Bagh besides Gupkar Road up to the All India Radio Srinagar office is also restricted for civilian traffic movement. However, the officials said all medical emergencies would be facilitated with access through the shortest possible route.
The prime minister is scheduled to land at the Srinagar International Airport where he would be received by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and senior leaders of the BJP. From the airport, Modi would fly to Badamibagh Cantonment, the headquarters of the Army?s 15 or Chinar Corps where he would lay a wreath at the War Memorial and pay tributes to the fallen soldiers, the officials said.
Later, Modi will drive to Bakshi Stadium via Gupkar and Zero Bridge in a cavalcade. The security apparatus has secured the road from Badamibagh Cantonment to Bakshi Stadium. Tricolours, BJP flags and hoardings welcoming Modi have been put up along the route that will be taken by Modi. Stringent security arrangements have been put in place to ensure an incident-free visit. Security personnel have been deployed in large numbers along the routes to be taken by Modi in Srinagar while barricades have been set up at several places, they said.
Drones and CCTV cameras are being used for surveillance while foot patrolling by the security forces has been intensified in a two-kilometre radius around the venue, officials said.
Marine commandos have been deployed in Jhelum River and Dal Lake to prevent the use of the water bodies for any subversive activities, the officials said.
Several schools in Srinagar were closed for two days, while board examinations scheduled to be held on Thursday have been postponed till next month.
However, the officials said parents and guardians of the students appearing for the CBSE exams are urged to accompany their wards. In case they can?t do so, they should ensure that their wards carry roll number slips and identity cards with them.
The prime minister will inaugurate initiatives worth nearly Rs 5,000 crore for boosting the agri-economy in the union Territory.
Modi will launch nationwide projects related to the tourism sector worth more than Rs 1,400 crore under the ?Swadesh Darshan? and ?PRASHAD? (Pilgrimage Rejuvenation And Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive) schemes, including a project for the integrated development of the Hazratbal shrine in Srinagar.
He will launch the ?Dekho Apna Desh People?s Choice Tourist Destination Poll? and the ?Chalo India Global Diaspora? campaign as well, besides announcing tourist destinations selected under the Challenge-Based Destination Development (CBDD) scheme.
Modi will distribute appointment letters to nearly 1,000 newly recruited government employees in Jammu and Kashmir and also interact with the beneficiaries of various central schemes, including women achievers, farmers and entrepreneurs, an official statement said.
In a step that will provide a major boost to the agri-economy of the region, Modi will launch the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme, it said.
It would cover the full spectrum of activities in three major domains ? horticulture, agriculture and livestock husbandry ? according to the statement.
With the Lok Sabha elections around the corner and opposition parties seeking an announcement on assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir, the prime minister?s scheduled visit has acquired a keen political dimension in terms of what he might have to say on the issue.
The prime minister will also launch 43 projects that will develop a wide range of pilgrimage and tourist sites across the country.
He will also launch the first-ever countrywide initiative to identify the pulse of the nation on tourism in the form of “Dekho Apna Desh People’s Choice 2024”.
Locals in Jammu and Kashmir said the situation in the union Territory is peaceful, terrorism has been brought under control after the abrogation of article 370 as Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to address a public rally in Srinagar during his visit to the valley on Thursday.
Posters welcoming PM Modi have ben put up in Srinagar to make the visit a ?huge success? which comes very close to the Lok Sabha elections 2024.
Hailing PM Modi for changing the status of Kashmir post abrogation of article 370, a Jammu resident said, “The situation in J&K is peaceful after the abrogation of Article 370. I am a contractor and we used to work at the India-Pakistan border. Before the abrogation of Article 370, several deaths were happening and our farmers could not work peacefully”.
“Today, the situation has completely changed?Earlier, people used to leave their homes and run away when there were attacks from the Pakistan side but after the removal of Article 370 all this has stopped?,” he said.
This is PM Modi?s second visit to the Jammu and Kashmir in more than two weeks. On February 20, PM Modi during his visit addressed rally in Jammu.
The visit comes at a time when regional parties like Farooq Abdullah?s National Conference and Peoples? Democratic Party led by former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti have been pressing for holding simultaneous polls in the union Territory.
Anoher resident said that militancy has been brought under control in the last ten years since Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister.
“I think this is going to be a great visit of PM Modi because the situation in Srinagar has completely changed. Militancy has been brought under control. 10 years ago, people used to feel scared before visiting there but now the number of tourists has also increased,” He said.
“PM Modi is going there, so I think he will make some big announcements?Overall, after the abrogation of Article 370, terrorism has been controlled,” he added.
During his address, PM Modi is expected to announce a slew of projects related to tourism and agriculture. Strict security arrangements have been put in place ahead of the visit at Bakshi Stadium, the venue of the rally.
