World's highest rail bridge in J-K's Reasi being developed as tourist spot
Chenab River in Reasi district is being developed as a tourist spot with authorities calling for necessary measures for increasing the visitors' footfall, officials said on Sunday. The 1.3-km rail bridge located 359 metres above the riverbed — 35 metres higher than the iconic Eiffel Tower in Paris — forms a crucial link in the 111-km stretch from Katra to Banihal, which is part of the ongoing prestigious Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link (USBRL) project.
Chief Secretary A K Mehta along with Deputy Commissioner, Reasi Babila Rakwal and other officers visited the bridge site near Jyotipuram, 42 km from Reasi town, on Saturday, the officials said.
Mehta had a detailed inspection of the bridge in the presence of the engineers of the executing agency and officers of Indian Railways who apprised him about the unique features of this engineering marvel having no parallel in the world, they said.
Appreciating the engineering staff for moving towards completing the challenging task, the chief secretary impressed upon the district administration to take immediate measures to turn this «architectural marvel» into a tourist spot.
«The location of the bridge is also impressive in terms of its aesthetic appeal as it lies in the lap of nature», Mehta said, adding that with little intervention the spot could turn into a great attraction for tourists.
He enjoined the divisional and district administration to take measures for better upkeep of the road from Reasi to the bridge site besides advising them to install crash barriers wherever required.
Mehta said the Reasi district, which also houses Mata Vaishno Devi shrine atop Trikuta hills, has the highest tourist footfall in Jammu and Kashmir which nearly crosses a crore mark
