Choose tourism over terrorism, Narendra Modi tells J&K youth

Said govt made every attempt to preserve environment, Himalayas while constructing the 9.2-km tunnel

While some Kashmiris were busy "throwing rocks" others were cutting through mountains to bring development to Jammu and Kashmir, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday and congratulated the youth of the state for the Nashri-Chenani tunnel that he inaugurated.

"On one side, there are those who are pelting stones, and on the other there are youth of Jammu and Kashmir who are carving a future of development for their state by cutting through rocks," Modi told a rally here.

Modi said the government had made every attempt to preserve the environment and the Himalayas while constructing the 9.2-km tunnel on the strategic Jammu-Srinagar highway.

"It's a message India has given to the world struggling with global warming," he said.

Modi congratulated the youth of Jammu and Kashmir who worked to make the tunnel a reality. "The money for this tunnel came from the government of India. But there is also the scent of sweat of Jammu and Kashmir's youth in this tunnel."