World's highest rail bridge in J-K's Reasi being developed as tourist spot
Jammu (PTI): The world's highest steel arch rail bridge over the Chenab River in Reasi district here 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 each year.
"The district has a very good potential to attract many more people to its historic and natural places. It has many well-known sites such as Shiv Khori, Salal Dam and Bhimgarh Fort which offers it a huge opportunity to tap its potential by further developing these to bring them on the national tourism map," the chief secretary said.
He also gave more suggestions to make the district a tourism hub which would create employment opportunities not only for locals but also for residents of other areas of the Union Territory.
He called for having a well-developed plan to develop the tourist circuit inside this district by developing all the relevant amenities and enhancing the connectivity between these places for hassle-free movement of the tourists, the officials said.
The 119 km long railway project comprises 38 tunnels and 931 bridges having a combined length of 13 km to make the railway link possible in this rough terrain nestled in the mighty Himalayas.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
