Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 6: Senior Citizen Forum (SCF) has urged Union Minister for Railways, Suresh Prabhu to issue orders regarding haltage of trains at Kathua Railway Station and remove the fair concession disparity between the two senior citizens sexes.
President of the Forum, Dharm Pal Gupta in a letter to Union Minister said that Kathua city in Jammu Province is a first Railway Station after Pathankot Cantonment (Punjab). Besides, Kathua is a District Headquarter of Jammu and Kashmir State, known as “Gateway of Jammu & Kashmir”. So, all trains passing through Kathua should allow halting there.
Gupta further said, “Kathua is known for modern industries. About 100-150 Heavy, Medium and Small Industrial Units are functioning here, setup by Big-Corporate-Houses of the Country and about 25,000-30,000 workers from neighbouring states. Besides, Military Brigade, CRPF, ITBT, BSF and J&K Police headquarters, Police Training School etc are functioning here. The district is also important for religious tourism, as the shrines of Mata Sukrala Ji, Joddian Wali Mata Ji and Zairat Peer-Fazal Shah are located here”.
He regretted that despite these facts of great importance, all trains passing from Kathua Railway Station have not granted permission to stop there.
“So, keeping in view the above facts Forum requested you to kindly grant sanction for stoppage of all trains plying between Jammu-Katra from various destinations of the country at Kathua’, the letter reads.
He further said, ladies senior citizens are being provided 50% concession in the trains where as men senior citizens are being provided 40% concession, which is a violation of the fundamental rights of the opposite sex and also violation of the Indian Constitution which granted equal rights to both.
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