*New trains to Valley triple gift: Dr Jitendra
Sanjeev Pargal/ Fayaz Bukhari
JAMMU/SRINAGAR, May 5: Railways Minister Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu said today that his Ministry was focusing very seriously on Katra-Banihal railway line to link the Kashmir valley directly by train with rest of India and announced that work on the section would be expedited to complete it as early as possible.
He was speaking at Rail Bhawan, New Delhi this afternoon after flagging off two passenger trains with limited stops from Banihal to Baramulla in the presence of Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) Dr Jitendra Singh, Jugal Kishore and Thupstan Chhewang, the BJP Lok Sabha members, Fayyaz Ahmad Mir, Rajya Sabha member of the PDP, Railways Board chairman AK Mittal and Member (Traffic) Mohammad Jamshed.
Simultaneously, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti along with Deputy Chief Minister Dr Nirmal Singh, other Cabinet Ministers and legislators flagged off the limited-stop Diesel Multiple Units (DMUs) from South Kashmir’s Anantnag district and undertook journey in the train.
Announcing that linking Kashmir with rest of the country by train remained top priority of Prime Minister Narendra Modi headed NDA Government at the Centre, Prabhu said via video conferencing after showing green flag to the new trains that the Railways Ministry was taking all efforts to expedite work on remaining part of Jammu-Srinagar railway section i.e. Katra to Banihal.
While trains move up to Katra from Jammu, New Delhi and other parts of the country, local trains ply between Banihal to Baramulla in the Kashmir Valley as there is no rail link between Katra to Banihal.
“The Railways Ministry was giving top priority to Katra-Banihal link. Work on the link is being expedited to ensure its early completion. Hopefully, we will be able to link Kashmir with rest of the country by train as early as possible,” Prabhu said.
The Railways Minister said the much-awaited fast passenger trains flagged off in the Kashmir Valley today will cut down travel time and reduce rush of passengers in the existing trains especially during the peak hours. He said initially the new trains will have 12 bogies each but (number of the bogies) will be increased later.
He announced that the two newly launched passenger trains will make four trips daily and biggest beneficiaries will be the commuters travelling from Anantnag to Srinagar as the trains will not halt at any station between these two places.
Recalling that the Railways had initially planned to launch these two fast trains in January this year, Prabhu said due to sudden demise of then Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, the launch had to be deferred. He announced that very shortly the frequency of the newly introduced trains will be increased. Additional coaches will also be added to them.
The Railways Minister also announced expansion of rail network in Jammu and Kashmir along with other parts of the country to help the passengers travel to the State from different parts of the country directly especially the pilgrims of Mata Vaishno Devi ji shrine. He reiterated enhancement of facilities at Railway Station in the State for convenience of the commuters.
Prabhu said the Banihal-Baramulla and Budgam-Baramulla DMUs would come as a huge relief to the people of the area. He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi always stressed on the development of J&K and this was only possible through good connectivity and these trains were a step forward in that direction.
Prabhu said passengers can now reach Baramulla from Banihal in two hours 40 minutes and Baramulla to Banihal in two hours and 20 minutes. Similarly, one can reach Baramulla from Budgam in 65 minutes and Budgam to Baramulla in just an hour. These trains would not only save time but also save money, the Minister added.
He said IRCTC was also taking several measures to promote J&K including marketing the unique handicrafts besides taking the cuisine to different parts of the country.
The Railways Minister said that there were several tourist spots in the State and with this connectivity not only there would be an influx of domestic tourists but also in international tourists and people would look forward to have a ride to the paradise destination.
He said in the coming times the Railway Ministry, Railway Board and Central Government in association with the State Government, rail connectivity would be expanded so that it benefits both the people and tourism.
The 74617 Budgam- Baramulla (six days a week except Friday) DMU would depart from Budgam at 1515 hours and Baramulla at 1620 hours the same day, while the 74618 Baramulla-Budgam (except Saturday) would depart from Baramulla at 1030 hours and reach Budgam at 1130 hours the same day.
The enroute stoppages include Mazhom, Pattan, Hamre and Sopore stations in both directions. Similarly, the 74619 Banihal-Baramulla (six days a week except Saturday) Fast DMU would depart from Banihal at 0740 hrs and reach Baramulla at 1020 hours the same day, while the 74620 Baramulla-Banihal (except Friday) would depart from Baramulla at 1635 hours and reach Banihal at 1855 hours the same day.
The stoppages include Qazigund, Anantnag, Srinagar, Budgam, Mazhom, Pattan, Hamre and Sopore stations. Baramulla-Budgam-Banihal section is presently being served by 13 pairs of train services which mean 26 single services are presently running. With these two pairs, the service has increased to 30.
Speaking after flagging off the new trains, Union Minister of State in Prime Minister’s Office Dr Jitendra Singh, who was guest of honor on the occasion, thanked the Railways Ministry for what he described as `triple gift’ to the people of Kashmir
“Firstly, the new trains will bring convenience by reducing the journey time of the commuters. Secondly, this will be more economical since the Railway fare is competitively lower and Thirdly, it will also generate revenue for the local people because every tourist visiting the Valley would like to have the pleasant experience of at least one journey on this beautiful rail stretch to see the Valley.
Dr Singh said a romantic rail journey in the scenic Valley of Paradise (as Kashmir is called) is an experience which cannot be felt unless one goes through it and added that he was envious of the friends and colleagues, who were attending the ceremony from Anantnag and who were scheduled to undertake a brief rail trip after the inaugural programme.
He said he was sure that in the times to come, just as Kashmir has innumerable, matchless tourist spots to offer for visitors from all over the world, the experience of this beautiful rail journey will also become an essential part of the tourist itinerary for every visitor.
Referring to the Narendra Modi Government’s commitment to accord high priority for developmental works in Jammu & Kashmir, Dr Singh, who represents Udhampur-Doda Lok Sabha seat, said today’s quantum expansion in rail network is a reiteration of the Prime Minister’s resolve to bring up peripheral States like Jammu & Kashmir and Northeast at par with the rest of the country.
Dr Jitendra Singh announced that Medical Poly Clinic of Udhampur, which had been shifted to Katra due to lack of patients in Udhampur, will now run three days each in Udhampur and Katra as MLA Udhampur Pawan Gupta had demanded that it shouldn’t be shifted from his constituency.
The rail line in Kashmir valley was constructed in a phased programme with the railways steadily commissioning sections between Anantnag and Mazhom in October 2008, the Mazhom-Baramulla section in February 2009, and subsequently 18 km-long section between Qazigund to Anantnag in October 2009, completing the 119 km Qazigund-Baramulla rail track.
The commissioning of the Pir Panjal Tunnel and the opening of Banihal-Qazigund railway section has brought about greater connectivity of Jammu to the Kashmir region. At present 13 pairs of DMU services ply on the rail sections providing all-weather connectivity in the region.
The train as a public mode of transportation has been quite popular since introduction with the railways subsequently augmenting the passenger carrying capacity of the DMU trains.
Meanwhile, congratulating the people on the introduction of four new trains today, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti after flaging off the trains at Anantnag said she hopes it is the beginning of many more good initiatives which will be taken by the Centre in the state. “As India makes giant strides on the development front, we hope J&K will get its fair share in the country’s rise,” she said.
Mehbooba said sound railway network contributes to the productive potential of the economy, including alleviating congestion in the road network and facilitating development. She said it was a cherished dream of her father, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, to provide people with a dedicated network of trains that crisscross the picturesque Kashmir valley and transcend cultural and religious barriers to connect them with the rest of the country.
Chief Minister said connectivity is the single biggest determinant of development and trains make commuting easier for those who live far away from their workplaces or colleges. “I am looking forward to the completion of 111-km-long Katra-Banihal Railway Line, which will provide an all-weather link to the Valley,” she added.
Mehbooba said that the rail network will have huge impact on the tourism sector. She said that she will take up with the Central Government the introduction of a new train service –Valley on Wheels – on the pattern of Palace on Wheels, which has given a huge fillip to the tourism industry of Rajasthan. “Special tourist trains to valley from Ahmedabad, Mumbai and Kolkata will further increase tourist footfall to the state,” she said, while also pitching for Joy Trains for children and family outings.
Chief Minister urged the Railway Minister to open Passenger Reservation Centres at the health resorts of Gulmarg, Pahalgam, Patnitop and Sonamarg. She also demanded dedicated stalls for showcasing fabled Handicraft products under the Union Railway Ministry’s ‘Station Development Programme’.
Highlighting the advantages of railways in promotion of the state’s horticulture sector, Mehbooba Mufti said Kashmir’s wide range of fruits will find it much easier to reach terminal markets and mandis in the rest of the country. “We aim to popularize use of freight trains to better market our fruits so that they are able to reach new destinations in the country well in time,” she added.
After flagging off the trains, the Chief Minister boarded the newly-launched service and undertook the journey up to Baramulla. She also interacted with several schoolchildren who boarded the train at various stations. She also spent lot of time interacting with the school children in the train and they were thrilled to see Chief Minister interacting with them.
After finishing her train journey, the Chief Minister also flagged off five SRTC buses that will take passengers from Nowgam Railway Station to Lal Chowk. Out of these, two buses will be reserved for women passengers. The service has been launched on her directions to provide respite to the daily commuters who suffer on account of poor to-and-fro bus service.
Deputy Chief Minister, Dr Nirmal Singh, senior PDP leader and MP, Muzaffar Hussain Baig, Minister for PW(R&B) and Parliamentary Affairs, AR Veeri, Minister of State for Haj & Auqaf, Syed Farooq Ahmad Andrabi, several Legislators and former Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, Sartaj Madni were also present on the occasion.
Earlier as the function for train flag off started at Anantnag Railway Station, NC MLA, Abdul Majid Larmi, left the dais amid hooting by the audiences who were mostly PDP workers. The MLA left in protest over being belittled by the audience.
With Mehbooba and Deputy Chief Minister on the podium, the announcer started welcoming the dignitaries and when he welcomed Larmi, the audience shouted – shame, shame. They reacted similarly when the announcer welcomed Congress lawmaker Mohammad Amin Bhat and NC’s Altaf Kaloo from Pahalgam.
Unlike Kaloo and Bhat, Larmi left the dais furiously. A number of officials and a few of his supporters and the security men accompanied him. As he was leaving, the crowd whistled and hooted at him thus making his return almost impossible.
Earlier, Larmi was not invited for the function but later the district administration apologized to him and he came to attend the function.
In his address, Dr. Nirmal Singh said the BJP-PDP alliance will write a new chapter in the annals of state’s history. He said with Centre’s liberal financial assistance, J&K will be able to achieve its goal of making J&K a true model state in the country.
“It gives me great satisfaction to see that four new trains will chug in the valley, taking the total number of trains to 30,” he said, while describing rail as a common man’s best transportation.
The Deputy Chief Minister said Railways Minister had assured former Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, of upgrading the rail infrastructure in the State so that an all-weather link between Valley and the rest of the country is established.
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