NEW DELHI : The crucial rail links between Jammu and Poonch in Jammu region and between border districts of Baramulla and Kupwara do not find mention in Railway Minister Mallikarjun Kharge’s speech in Parliament today before he presented the vote-on-account for Railways for 2014-15. The Jammu-Poonch link–a proposed railway line from Jammu Tawi station via the Historic City of Akhnoor to Poonch via Kaleeth-Doori Dager-Chowki Choura-Bhambla-Nowshera-Rajouri was designated a national project on the March 22, 2012. Both–Kupwara in Kashmir and Poonch in Jammu region–are the two border districts which witness border violations by Pakistani troops.
The then Railway minister Mukul Roy had said he was pursuing the inclusion of four critical projects as national projects, which include Bilaspur, Mandi, Leh railway, Jammu, Poonch, Tanakpur-Bageshwar and Rupai-Parshuram Kund lines. The government had in 2009, said in Lok Sabha that survey for Baramulla-Kupwara new line had already been conducted and work on this section hadn’t been started yet. The Railway Minister said in his speech that the Kashmir Rail project had witnessed a major landmark last June when 11.2 KM long tunnel inking Banihal and Qazigund in Kashmir valley became operational.
He said the tunnel, “an engineering marvel”, had reduced the distance from 35 Km to 17.5 KM and provided an all-season means of transport to the people.
Also, construction of the Udhampur-Katra section had been completed and trial runs had started. A passenger train service to Katra is expected to start “very shortly”, the Minister added.
Specially-designed coaches for adverse weather conditions had been inducted for rail travel in Kashmir while corrosion resistant and lighter wagons with capability to carry extra pay-load and higher speed potential upto 100 KM per hour had been developed.
(AGENCIES)
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