Suhail Bhat
SRINAGAR, Sept 2: Although the Railway Ministry allocated five new halt stations on the Banihal-Baramulla Railway track five years ago, the Railway appears to have abandoned these small initiatives.
In June 2017, the Ministry of Railways allotted five new halt points: Razwan (Sanoor Kalipora) between Budgam and Mazhome Railway Stations, Naidgam between Budgam and Mazhome Railway Stations, Ratnipora (Pulwama) between Kakapora and Awantipore Stations and Sangdan (Kulgam) between Qazigund and Sadura Railway Stations, in response to local requests. However, the stations remained far from completion despite the passage of five years since the projects began, with officials blaming COVID 19 for the delay.
Locals have expressed unhappiness with the slow pace of work, which they believe will take a long time to finish. They said they were hoping that all their commuting woes would end with the construction of these halt stations, but an inordinate delay in their completion has dashed their hopes. “The work on these stations has been too slow. The stations will not be built in the next decade. In absence of these stations people are having a tough time using the train service, which was reopened after a lengthy lockdown,” a local said.
Ratnipora halt station in Pulwama is one such example where work on a small ticket office and security counter has been going on for the past five years. Locals alleged the contractor’s unwillingness to finish the project is due to a lack of funds from the Railway authority, claiming that the only thing constructed in the last five years was a concrete retaining wall with iron grills. “Countries create metro railway lines in five years, but the government is unable to construct a small halt station here. Is this the Government’s declared rate of development?”, a local asked.
According to Chief Area Manager Srinagar, Saqib Ahmad, the construction was delayed due to the COVID 19, and all of these stations are nearing completion. “COVID 19 affected the pace of work and barring one work has resumed in all the stations,” he said, adding they have recently opened a new halt station at Hillar area in South Kashmir.
“All of these projects are nearing completion, and the platform is complete in all of the places,” he said when asked how much work has been done so far.
“Nadigam station is almost finished. Razwana and Ratnipora stations are currently under construction. At one location, tile work is being done, while buildings are being constructed at another,” he explained.
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