Direct rail service to Kashmir won't negatively impact Jammu: Omar Abdullah

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday allayed fears of any negative fallout on Jammu after the launch of direct rail service between Kashmir and the rest of the country anytime soon, saying his government will ensure that the region benefits immensely by the completion of the long-pending project.

Abdullah was speaking at a function organised here in connection with the virtual inauguration of the Jammu railway division by Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of the start of direct train service to Kashmir from Katra, with the final trial run scheduled for Tuesday.

"Two days ago, we got this good news through media that the trial train reached Katra from Srinagar. It is expected that very soon, the prime minister will inaugurate this section which will complete the railway line and immensely benefit the people of the region," the chief minister said.

However, he said there are some concerns among the people related to the rail service, especially in Jammu.

"It is often said that when rail service reached Jammu from Pathankot (Punjab), the situation in Pathankot became a bit difficult. Here too, at some places, there is a notion that if trains reach Kashmir directly from Jammu, the latter might face the same situation as Pathankot.

"On behalf of my government, I want to assure the people of Jammu that the rail service to Kashmir will have no impact on the region. Rather, we assure that Jammu will benefit from it as it will enhance trade and tourism, besides increasing travel between the two regions," Abdullah said.

Praising the prime minister for his efforts to improve connectivity and road network in Jammu and Kashmir, Abdullah said the expansion of railway line to Poonch-Rajouri in Jammu and beyond Baramulla in Kashmir will be the responsibility of the Jammu railway division.

"In my previous tenure as chief minister, the last function I attended was the inauguration of the Katra railway station. After assuming charge again, this is my first major function. And both are linked to railways and held under the leadership of Modi," he said.

The inauguration of the Jammu division is the biggest proof of the efforts of the prime minister to improve connectivity and road network in the region, he said.

The ongoing work on the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra expressway project, four-laning of the Jammu-Srinagar national highway, Z-morh and Zojila tunnels to provide all-weather road connectivity to Ladakh, along with airport expansion will further enhance connectivity on their completion, he said.

Lauding the railway ministry, Abdullah said that people used to get down from the train in Pathankot before it slowly reached Jammu, but in the last four decades, the railway service kept expanding -- first from Jammu to Udhampur, and then from Udhampur to Katra.

Similarly, rail service started in Kashmir from Srinagar to Baramulla, and was extended to Anantnag and Banihal and later to Sangaldan, he said.

Referring to the steep hike in air fare during the winter months when most of roads remain closed in Kashmir due to heavy snowfall, Abdullah said, "We are forced to buy air tickets worth Rs 5,000 for Rs 25,000... I hope the new rail service will not only benefit the railways, but also boost trade and industries with the induction of cargo trains."  Congratulating the people of J-K on getting a separate railway division in Jammu, Abdullah said it was a long-pending demand which has been fulfilled now.

"I am thankful to Prime Minister Modi and Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw," he said.

"The biggest thing is our coordination and control will not be from Firozpur (railway division), but from Jammu. And in this, we will definitely see benefits in recruitment. A small part of Punjab and a part of Himachal Pradesh have been added to this as well," Abdullah said.