Three trains arrive with 320 passengers
Shopkeepers, luggage carriers get back source of livelihood
Ajay Raina
JAMMU, Nov 24: Hundreds of passengers gathered at the Jammu and Katra Railway Stations today with mixed feelings of relief and apprehension as the railways resumed its services, which remained suspended for two months due to protest of farmers over Farm Bills in the neighbouring States.
However, Railways is taking all safety precautions like following social distancing and providing hand sanitisers to the passengers as there is no let up in the deadly Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
While talking to the visiting Excelsior Correspondent, Amit Sharma from Murarabad, who reached Jammu Railway Station this morning, expressed happiness over resumption of train services to and fro Jammu. “I along with my wife wished to visit the sacred shrine of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi at Katra and the same is going to be fulfilled due to resumption of train services”, he said.
Amit’s wife Neha said that train services should continue in every part of India as it is nerve centre for tourism and those protesting against the Government’s policies should not make common masses to suffer.
A group of tourists from Banaras, who also reached Jammu, too expressed happiness over resumption of train services. “There should not be any disruption in the train services as most of the people prefer to travel through this medium”, they said.
“We were planning to visit the shrine of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi long time back but had to defer after we came to know about suspension of train services due to protest by farmers over recently introduced Farm Bills in Punjab”, they added.
Another tourist said, “everybody cannot afford air travel as such train services are the much better and cheaper option available to large number of people”.
Earlier, the train services were suspended due to lockdown imposed in view of COVID-19 pandemic but when the services were resumed by the Government of India the farmers took to tracks and lead to suspension of services. The resumption of train services from Jammu and Katra Railway Stations have also provided sigh of relief to the luggage carriers (Coolies) as they had virtually lost their livelihood due to suspension of services.
Ashok Patel, a tourist from Varanasi, who got stuck with his family in Jammu during the past quite long time, said, “it was just impossible for us to think of travelling through bus to our native area but resumption of train services has brought end to all our miseries”.
“I wished to visit my family in Banaras on Diwali but due to suspension of train services I could not. I have booked Tatkal ticket and now travelling to my native area to meet my family”, Vinod Patel said at Jammu Railway Station.
Pardeep Singh Manhas, Incharge for supervising the COVID-19 reports of arriving passengers, said that every protocol of COVID-19 pandemic is being followed at Railway Station Jammu. Five testing booths have been set for conducting Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) of every arriving passenger. “One of the patient tested positive and has been quarantined as per set protocol”, he informed.
Even the shops and other business outlets outside the Jammu and Katra Railway Stations have expressed happiness over resumption of train services as their livelihood is directly linked with the passengers especially the tourists.
Government Railway Police (GRP) Jammu authorities when contacted informed that 3 trains–Begampura Express, Amarnath Express and Malwa Express arrived at Jammu Railway Station with around 320 passengers at 1100 hours¸ 1350 hours and 1720 hours respectively.
“Banaras Express (Begumpura Express) departed from Jammu at 1400 hours, while Amarnath Express and Shiv Shakti Express left at 2245 hours and 0045 hours respectively from Jammu Railway Station”, they informed.
It is pertinent to mention here that Shiv Shakti Express departs and originates from Katra Railway station.
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