Red alert ahead of Modi's visit to J&K

Security forces in Jammu and Kashmir were put on high alert on Friday ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's two-day visit to the state on Saturday.

All entry and exit points into Srinagar and Jammu have been sealed by police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) who allowed vehicles to enter the cities only after thorough checking and frisking of the occupants.

Makeshift barricades and mobile bunkers have been put up to regulate traffic to ensure that no unauthorized movement is allowed during the visit.

Top officials said peripheral security to the Prime Minister's visit was being provided by the Army.

Traffic jams were seen on Friday at some places both in Srinagar and Jammu cities as traffic moved at snail's pace due to multiple checkpoints.

Modi will tour all the three regions of the state during his visit.

He will inaugurate the 330 MW Kishenganga hydroelectric power project in Bandipora district in the Kashmir Valley on Saturday.

He will lay the foundation of the Zojila tunnel in Drass area of Kargil district. After completion, the tunnel would provide all-weather connectivity between the Valley and Ladakh region that otherwise remains cut off during the winter months.

Modi will also attend the 100th birth anniversary of revered Ladakhi spiritual leader, Kushak Bakula, in Leh town.

The Prime Minister will address the convocation of the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST) in Jammu on Sunday before returning to New Delhi.

Modi's visit to the troubled state come two days after his government announced a ceasefire against militants to provide for a peaceful environment during the holy month of Ramadan.

--IANS

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