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POLITICS







 n November   REAL KASHMIR GIVES   religious, regional and geo-  s general elec-  • Wooing voters  Modi tries to be in
 6, history   graphical  diversity. It has   tions come clos-                     constant touch with his electorate
 was made at   Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus and   er, Prime Min-
 Srinagar’s TRC   VALLEY HOPE  Christians, including Mason,   ister Narendra      sioner Varanasi Deepak
 O ground when   the son of Robertson.   A Modi seems to be                       Agrawal told ‘Tehelka,’ “The
 Real Kashmir FC, J&K’s first   It has local J&K players,   a man in hurry to accomplish   project has been designed to
 football club to qualify for   those from other parts of   his unfinished task that he   promote inland waterways
 I-League, clashed against   More than a simple win or lose game, the    India and also some interna-  promised while switching   as a cheap and environment-
 Churchill Brothers in their   I-League had a profound symbolic significance   tional players, one of them   from his home constituency,   friendly mode of transpor-
 home debut. Though the   for the Valley, RIYAZ WANI writes  the captain Loveday Enyin-  Varodara to Varanasi in 2014.   tation, especially for cargo
 match ended in a draw but   naya who is from Nigeria.   After becoming prime minis-  movement and shipments.
 Kashmir won.   He joined Real Kashmir on   ter, he visited around 15 times       The Inland Waterways
 More than a simple win   loan from Minerva Punjab   to his parliamentary con-  VARANASI BAGS PROJECTS   Authority of India (IWAI) has
 or lose game, the match had   in January.   stituency. Each time he gifted       been entrusted to execute
 a profound symbolic sig-  “There is lot of talent   his constituency with some   this project.”
 nificance for the Valley. The   is Kashmir. The players in   new projects or inaugurated   WORTH `2,413 CRORES  “National Waterway-1
 Real Kashmir boys had over-  our team are doing really   ongoing projects aimed at   (Haldia-Varanasi stretch) is
 come great odds to break   well,” Enyinnaya said. “I-  transforming development   being developed with techni-
 into the game’s top flight in   League will give them more   of the oldest holy city of the   PM Narendra Modi visited around 15 times to his   cal assistance and invest-
 India: Beginning around the   exposure and experience of   world.   parliamentary constituency and gifted one project   ment support from the World
 time of 2014 floods which   playing at a national level.”   Modi wishes to be in   Bank. The total estimated
 sunk parts of Srinagar and   constant touch with his elec-  or more each time, writes MUDIT MATHUR  cost of the project is  5,369.18
 swathes of North and South   The Real   torate by having a personal              crore, which will be shared
 Kashmir, the boys also had   rapport with them caring   people will only like politics   for navigation of large vessels
 to grapple with the reigning   Kashmir boys   about their minute needs and   of development alone.   weighing up to 1,500 to 2,000   The multi-modal
 political turmoil and the vio-  to improve their quality of   Making Kashi cleaner and   tonnes.
 lence in the Valley to pursue   had overcome   life. This week too, despite his   healthier through sewerage   In an oblique attack on   terminal project
 their dream. And they made   great odds to   busy electioneering schedule   projects which will have a   previous governments, Modi
 it come true, when early this   in assembly poll bound states,   long-term impact on the city   said, “Today is a momentous   and proposed
 year they beat Hindustan   ill Brothers at Srinagar in   working on the team and   break into the   he managed a little time for   and surrounding areas. The   day. Today Varanasi and   freight village
 FC 3-2 at Bengaluru, thus   what was the first such   eventually succeeding in   game’s top    visiting Varanasi to inaugu-  inauguration of 140 MLD   the country, is witnessing a
 becoming the newest team   national level clash, it was   turning its performance   rate several development   Dinapur STP will add great   unique development that   in Varanasi will
 to gain entry into elite I-  a remarkable feat for not   around. He has himself gone  flight in India  projects at an estimated cost   strength towards the efforts   should have taken place   generate 500
 League. They emerged win-  only the Real Kashmir but   through a transformation:   of  2,413 crores in his Lok   of cleaning the river Ganga.   decades ago. But that did
 ners as they secured seven   also for Kashmir as well.   from a reluctant coach who   Sabha constituency. These   He inaugurated a multi-mod-  not happen. When I initially   direct jobs
 points — from two wins   And as a testimony to this   wanted to return home after   The I-League is one of the   projects have been designed   al terminal on River Ganga,   moved the idea of launching
 and a draw — from three   fact, thousands of spectators   encountering the travails of   two top football leagues in   to create a ‘transformative   two national highway pro-  a multi-modal terminal on
 matches in the final round.   had turned up to witness the  living in Kashmir to a man   the country, the other being   impact’ on the overall devel-  jects along with some sewer-  the Ganga River, people made  between the Government of
 Only the winning team of   match in freezing weather,   on a mission who wanted   the Indian Super League.   opment of this holy city and   age projects. In a major boost   fun and indulged in negative   India and the World Bank on
 the second division league   among them the youth   to hone the abundant tal-  The league is contested by 11   the state of Uttar Pradesh,   to port-led development and   talks, but now, these projects   a 50:50 ratio, he explained
 is promoted to the I-League.   from the troubled South   ent of the Valley’s budding   teams and runs from Mid-  especially Poorvanchal as   harnessing our Jal Shakti   are living examples of new   sharing its financial details.
 And Real Kashmir FC did   Kashmir. Only a day prior to   footballers.  October to March with the   this belt stood behind his   for India’s growth, an inland   India’s new vision.” “The  next   The multi-modal terminal
 it so fast. The team is now   the match, it had snowed in   And with the entry of   teams playing 20 matches   leadership paving his way to   waterways terminal project   generation will witness a   project and proposed freight
 playing I-League season   Srinagar. But as if to facili-  Real Kashmir into I-League,   each. With more matches   power in 2014.   conceived from Varanasi to   sea change in the transport   village in Varanasi are likely
 2018-19, its first. And it has   tate the match, the sun came  Robertson’s efforts have   lined up, the next one with   During inauguration   Haldia port in West Bengal.  sector by this multi-modal   to generate 500 direct jobs
 already begun it with a bang.   out just around the time, the   richly paid off.   the Manipur-based Neroca   ceremony speech Modi sung   In Ramnagar area of his   terminal on the Ganga River,”   and more than 2,000 indirect
 On October 31, they defeated   game began. And watching   Real Kashmir looks   football club, Real Kashmir   the songs of development at   constituency, Modi inau-  prime minister remarked.   employment opportunities.
 the defending champions   it with pride and a smile on   forward to a world of pos-  is beginning to generate    a time when his party and   gurated the multimodal   “Now, the country wants   As a part of clean-green
 Minerva Punjab 1-0  in their   the face was theex-Rangers   sibilities. The team which   attention in Kashmir. For   top leadership have been   terminal of IWAI. Multi-  only politics of development.   Varanasi, Modi inaugurated
 debut match at Tau Devi Lal   footballer David Robertson,   wins I-League qualifies for   once, the people are real-  paddling Hinduism and Ram   modal waterways terminal   People take their decisions   10 major projects worth
 Stadium in Panchkula. The   the Real Kashmir coach.  participation in the Asian   izing there is something to   Temple in Ayodhya issues in   on the Ganga river as part of   on the basis of development   2,301.75 crore in the city
 win suddenly put the team   Robertson, 50, a former   Champions League. This   celebrate amid the lingering   election campaigning. On   the Centre’s Jal Marg Vikas   and not on vote bank politics,”   on his latest visit on
 in national spotlight.    player, arrived in Valley   puts a club on an interna-  turmoil.   the contrary Modi behaved   Project which aims to de-  he said.  November 12.
 So when the team   in January 2017 and ever   tional map.   cautiously in his constituency   velop the stretch of the river   Explaining the nitty-gritty
 squared up against Church-  since has been tirelessly   Real Kashmir boasts of   LETTERS@TEHELKA.COM  where he stressed that now   between Varanasi and Haldia   of the project, the Commis-  LETTERS@TEHELKA.COM



 TEHELKA / 30 NOVEMBER 2018  48  WWW.TEHELKA.COM  TEHELKA / 30 NOVEMBER 2018  49  WWW.TEHELKA.COM


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