Kathua-Udhampur Emerge As Development Hub In Over One Decade

JAMMU : 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.”
Alongwith, Dr Singh said that the past one year alone witnessed 21 major works in the constituency including, tunnel projects under NH-244 worth nearly Rs 9,800 crore approved for Doda, Kishtwar and Udhampur, the Chattergala Tunnel, Udhampur airport operationalisation and Kishtwar inclusion under UDAN signal aviation outreach to hilly terrain.”
In disaster-prone belts like Machail and Paddar, , he said that Automated Weather Stations at a seismological observatory and a proposed Doppler Weather Radar for Doda underline a science-backed safety net following last year’s cloudburst tragedy.
Dr Singh said that as the road connectivity remains a consistent focus, said, “PMGSY projects worth over Rs 1,000 crore were inaugurated or launched and a nano-technology based water filtration unit for flood-hit border villages in Hiranagar demonstrates innovation reaching the last mile.”
He further revealed that ICU ambulances from MPLAD funds, hand pumps for drinking water, solar lights in Doda playgrounds, a multi-level parking complex in Kathua city, a girls’ school named after Shaheed NK Vakil Singh Jasrotia, a Munsiff Court in Billawar, and a Kendriya Vidyalaya in Ramkot are among few key developmental and infrastructural projects undertaken in the past one year in Kathua-Udhampur Parliamentary constituency.
“Development in this constituency is people-centric with an aim to ensure that even the remotest village of Doda or Kishtwar feels connected to the national growth story,” adding he said, “the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has clearly said that all government schemes and central developmental projects and welfare benefits must reach to the last person in the queue and we are working on the similar line to make this constituency more vibrant and model in future.” (Agencies)