Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Sunday proposed that the Navyug tunnel connecting Qazigund with Banihal on Srinagar-Jammu National Highway should be named after late Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh.
Talking to reporters, Omar said the late PM Manmohan Singh did a lot for Jammu and Kashmir.
“Four laning of Srinagar-Jammu National Highway was taken up during Dr Manmohan Singh’s regime,” he said.
Omar said today the distance between Jammu and Srinagar is covered within 5 hours, and it's his contribution. “The project and related infrastructure development facilitated easy connectivity, boosting economic growth and tourism in the region”.
Omar said the Navyug Tunnel should be named as Dr Manmohan Singh tunnel.
“Let anyone take the credit for new tunnels on the highway but we should remember that the process to develop Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was initiated by the late Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh,” he said.
He praised Dr Singh for initiating the Round Table Conference on Kashmir, the appointment of interlocutors, launch of cross-LoC trade, and introduction of special scholarships for J&K students.
He also credited the former PM for his efforts to rehabilitate Kashmiri Pandits.
Describing Dr Singh as a "true statesman," Omar expressed his gratitude for the late prime minister and proposed renaming the Navyug Tunnel as a fitting tribute to Dr Singh's legacy.
“It will ensure that the former PM's selfless service to the nation and the region is remembered for generations to come,” he added.