J&K is high on the priority list of the Railways Minister, Suresh Prabhu. He has a robust railway package for the State for which he has put his railway team at work so that early next year when he pays official visit to the State along with a high power team of his ministry, he will be able to do some whistle blowing. Actually, fully briefed by the Deputy Chief Minister, Dr. Nirmal Singh, during his recent meeting, at least four new destinations have been identified. The first is that Jammu may get the status of headquarter of J&K Division of Railways in view of large scale expansion of the railways in the Himalayan region of the country. Second is that the Railways Minister has ordered survey of several new railway lines the Ministry intends to take up for connectivity in due course of time. Among these are (a) Kathua – Basohli-Billawar (b) Bani – Manwal – Bhaderwah (c) Jammu-Rajouri-Poonch, and (d) Baramulla – Kupwara-Lolab. In fact, survey of the last mentioned route, namely Jammu-Poonch has already been made and now its processing has to be initiated, which hopefully may be done after the visit of the Railways Minister early next year. It has to be reminded that work on the completion of Katra-Banihal via Reasi is already underway and hopefully by 2017 this wonder of rail connectivity will become operational. Furthermore, rail link from Srinagar to Leh is also on the anvil and once the two tunnels at Gagangir and Zoji La, on which work has already commenced, are completed, the Leh rail project will be undertaken.
With the creation of J&K Railway Division, rail service in the State will receive tremendous boost. It will bring in a new and unprecedented economic boom in the State. Hundreds of jobs will be available for local youth and trade and commerce of the entire region on either side of the Pir Panchal will receive big boost. All this will augur well for the prosperity of the State. It is no wonder that once Jammu- Poonch rail link is established, the extension of railway line along the ancient Mughal Road will also become a reality with a tunnel to be excavated at Pir ki Gali. That will provided second rail link to Kashmir and with that the entire two border districts of Rajouri and Poonch will be transformed from poverty and deprivation to economic hub of the State. Railway Minister has been approached by the Deputy Chief Minister with the request to increase the passenger capacity of some railways connecting Katra with other parts of the country and also introduce new railways connecting Katra/Jammu directly with educational, cultural and economic centers of the country like Pune, Ahmadabad, Bangaluru, Kanpur and Jaipur. We are optimistic that J&K, hitherto known as a hilly and inaccessible State, will emerge as the best railway-connected State in the country. In passing, we may remind the Railway Minster that at present Jammu rail station with its existing conditions is a shame and a blot on the fair name of Indian railways.
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