A day after a terror strike on an army convoy in Srinagar claimed the lives of eight soldiers, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi arrived here today amidst tight security.
A security blanket has been thrown around Srinagar. All roads leading to venues where the two leaders will go have been blocked. The army is also conducting foot patrols in some areas.
During the visit, Dr. Singh is expected to announce a package for the border districts of the state. The package will be for development and reconstruction of the border areas.
The Prime Minister will also launch a train service between Qazigund in Kashmir and Banihal in Jammu region that will provide an all-weather link to the valley which often gets cut off from rest of the country in the winter.
During his stay in Srinagar, Dr. Singh is expected to take stock of the implementation of the Rs. 37, 000-crore reconstruction package for the state that he had initiated in 2004 under the Prime Minister’s Reconstruction Plan.
The plan involves 67 projects and schemes covering 11 sectors of the economy, including expansion of infrastructure and basic services and employment generation. (ANI)