Jammu, Feb 25: Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary on Wednesday robustly defended his brother and JKP Inspector Vijay Singh Choudhary by describing “raids of Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) and registration of case against him (Vijay) under disproportionate assets case -result of Police’s internal rivalry.”

He alleged that the ACB steps were aimed at scuttling his (Vijay’s) promotional prospects.

“I will also request the Lieutenant Governor to identify such Police officers, who try to demoralise officers/officials who perform duty with dedication and take action against them,” Surinder Choudhary said, while responding to media queries after inspecting the riverbed area near the 4th Tawi bridge.

Earlier, J&K Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Wednesday conducted searches on the residential and business properties of Vijay Singh Choudhary, an Inspector of Jammu and Kashmir Police (JKP) in Jammu, Rajouri and other places, following the registration of the disproportionate assets case against him.

Vijay Singh Choudhary is the brother of J&K Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary.

“He (Vijay) is an officer, who valiantly fought against terrorists at Gursai in Mendhar; he performed duties at Surankote – when the militancy was at its peak and no officer would prefer to go there and later at Thannamandi. During his duties at different places in Chenab valley, including Doda, he bravely confronted terrorists. He was the one who faced a terrorist attack at Supwal Chowki. It was Vijay Singh Choudhary only who ensured the opening of the Police Post/Chowki at Chatha, where the officers would dread to visit even during the daytime,” Deputy Chief Minister said, while responding to media queries about the ACB raids and registration of case against JKP Inspector.

Surinder Choudhary continued his momentum as he said, “This was unfortunate that a Police officer, whose entire service career was marked by valiant acts, did not get any award from the department so far in his (professional) life for tackling crime and terrorism head on. Instead, his promotion was stopped. His entire batch was promoted to DySP rank. Today attempts are being made to stop his promotion as DySP. The (Police) officers, who during the peak of militancy would fear to come out of the confines of their rooms, are presently holding the chairs (high posts), on the basis of manipulation.”

He alleged, “Those Police officers are under the impression that they’ve attained supreme power. But I want to tell them that my family is a worshipper of Mata Vaishno Devi. I come from the family that belongs to the village of Sant Baba Sundar Singh Ali Begh Wale in Nonial. I come from a soldier family. He worked very hard and we created whatever we have at present, brick by brick through hard work and perseverance.”

In the same breath, Surinder Choudhary, referred to the case of a peon in Nowshera, who, he (DyCM) alleged, was owning four (stone) crushers.

“However, is it a sin if the married son of Vijay Singh – Surinder Choudhary’s brother – has established a crusher – just one in his (Vijay’s) entire service career? I’m Deputy Chief Minister, my children, too, are young. They have returned after completing their studies. I’ll also find some employment for them. Will it be a sin?” Deputy Chief Minister questioned.

He said it (raid, and registration of case) was very unfortunate. “It would only demoralise the hard working and performing officers. There are many officers in J&K, who hold the chair yet don’t work. Accusations were levelled against Vijay Singh Choudhary as he was performing on the ground. Those who work and deliver on the ground, obviously their enemies out of vendetta level allegations against them. I was expecting that Vijay Singh Chowdhary would be awarded and promoted for his exemplary work. But what is happening here?” he raised a question over ACB action.

Surinder Choudhary further alleged, “In fact, it is happening to scuttle his promotion prospects by few officers of JKP. Though I always commend JKP for valiantly fighting against the terrorism. But those who never worked were holding the prime postings at present. But they should remember- time will change. We will remember their actions. But rest assured, they would not damage our family or its reputation. So this (raids) is just a drama and it will go on throughout the day.”

“Had we accumulated so much wealth, we, too, would have constructed a house in a posh colony like Gandhi Nagar, Trikuta Nagar, Chhanni Himmat or Sainik Colony. We would not have been living in a place where even a vehicle cannot enter,” Deputy Chief Minister said.

Does he consider it as a politically motivated move? In response to this question, Surinder Choudhary said, “I will not say it, at this moment. I’ll only say – it is an act of internal rivalry of Police, which always caused damage to the JKP. I’ll ask LG Sahib to identify such officers.”

Jammu, Feb 25: The Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway, the fifth major expressway being developed in the country, is set for completion by March 2027, a senior official of the National Highways Authority of India said on Wednesday.

The construction of the National Expressway 5 (NE5), which began in April 2021, had significantly slowed last year due to Operation Sindoor as well as heavy rains and floods across northern states.

Once completed, the project is expected to considerably enhance regional connectivity, promote religious tourism and facilitate faster mobility for the armed forces, the official said.

The expressway will reduce the distance from Delhi to Katra from 727 to 588 kilometres, cutting travel time from 14 to about six hours, he said.

Speaking to PTI Videos here, Rajiv Kumar, project director, NHAI (Project Implementation Unit Jammu), said, “Construction of the expressway was hit badly last year in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor and later by heavy rains and flooding. But the work has gathered pace again. The deadline for its completion has been fixed for March next year.”

Kumar said the National Expressway 5 is the fifth major expressway being developed in the country and has been conceptualised as a religious corridor, supplementing existing air and rail connectivity.

“It will connect two of the most prominent pilgrimage destinations — Sri Harmandir Sahib, also known as the Golden Temple or Darbar Sahib in Amritsar (Punjab) and Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Katra (Reasi district, Jammu and Kashmir),” he said.

A large number of devotees visit Mata Vaishno Devi annually, the official said, explaining that they currently rely on rail and air travel. The expressway would provide a third option, enabling Delhi-Katra travel in approximately six hours.

“We had only five to six months of effective work last year. One of the biggest challenges was retaining manpower during tense security situations. Many workers left due to safety concerns and had to be persuaded to return. Additionally, heavy rains washed away two bridges, severely disrupting supply lines,” Kumar said.

Strategically, the NHAI official said, the expressway is significant for Jammu and Kashmir due to its proximity to the International Border.

“Running parallel to sensitive border areas, the corridor is expected to facilitate faster deployment and improved mobility for defence forces,” he said.

Kumar said advanced segmental bridge construction technology — a method adopted during the construction of Delhi Metro and Dwarka Expressway — is being used in the current project.

Packages 15 and 16 along the Jammu-Samba stretch included an elevated corridor of nearly 21.5 kilometres, which posed a challenge due to heavy traffic movement. However, the target was achieved using segmental bridge construction technology without disrupting traffic, the NHAI official said.

Keeping the upcoming annual Amarnath Yatra in mind, the official said, a target has been set to complete nearly 30 kilometres of the Jammu-Kathua stretch before the start of the pilgrimage later this year.