‘Train from Jammu to Srinagar will boost tourism’
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 27: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today said the Government is trying to build an ecosystem for Startups in Jammu and Kashmir even as he acknowledged that the UT lags behind many states that started their Startup initiatives earlier.
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“We can learn from their experiences, and the mistakes they made do not need to be repeated by us. The Startup policy announced in 2024 has laid the foundation for growth, with budgetary provisions now in place to support funding and development,’’ Omar told reporters on the sidelines of a function here.
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He said during his visit to the Government College of Engineering and Technology, a demand was raised for setting up an incubation centre.
Replying to a question on launch of first direct Vande Bharat Express train from Jammu to Srinagar, scheduled for April 30, the Chief Minister said the train service will significantly boost the tourism sector in J&K.
“The enhanced capacity of the train service would allow more passengers to travel, thereby improving connectivity and supporting tourism. It will definitely give a boost (to the tourism sector). You may recall that I have repeatedly pointed out that the train’s capacity has been limited so far. Only an eight-coach train was running between Katra and Srinagar. Now, it will be a twenty-coach train, which means more passengers will be able to travel,” he said.
He said that such services should continue, and we want both the frequency and capacity of trains to increase.
Omar condemned the shooting incident at a venue in Washington where the US President Donald Trump was present, saying violence has no place in politics and expressing relief that he survived. He batted strongly for facilitating lasting peace in West Asia and said that dialogue must continue, even if through alternative means.
“Thank God he survived, and I did not want anything to happen to him,” he said.
Describing politics as “a very dirty thing,” he said that differences should be expressed verbally and democratically, and not through violence.
“Harming someone is never justified anywhere. Such life-threatening attacks are unacceptable, and I hope incidents like this never happen to any political leader,” Omar said.
He recalled that Jammu and Kashmir has also witnessed decades of violence and attacks on political leaders.
“No one understands this better than we do in J&K. Over the past 30–35 years, many people from different political parties-be it BJP, National Conference, Congress or CPI(M)-have lost their workers and leaders to bullets and terrorism. This should never have happened,” he said.
Omar also reacted to the cancellation of US-Iran envoy-level talks scheduled in Pakistan concerning Iran.
He said that dialogue must continue, even if through alternative means. “It is fine if talks are held over the phone, but they should take place,” he said.
Emphasising the need for stability, he said, “We want peace to be restored and the ongoing tensions to end once and for all. Iran should be allowed to live in peace. Whatever has happened is done, but now the focus should be on organising lasting peace.”
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