Srinagar, April 8:  The Qazigund-Srinagar-Baramulla rail link of the prestigious Kashmir rail project would be made functional by August, Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav said in Srinagar on Tuesday.

He also said that the 66-km stretch between Anantnag and Budgam districts was ready and would be dedicated to the nation by June this year.

Asked about the progress of work on the most difficult part of the rail link between Udhampur and Qazigund, he told reporters at the Srinagar railway station at Nowgam that officers involved in the project would be in a better position to talk about it.

The Udhampur-Qazigund link passes through mountainous terrain on which nearly two dozen bridges and tunnels are to be constructed for connecting Kashmir Valley to rest of the country by rail.

The Railway Minister also inspected a train, which was briefly operated as a 'mock run'.

Yadav went around the railway station and inspected the facilities for the commuters there besides interacting with local work force working on the railway project.

He also planted a Chinar sapling in the compound of the railway station building.