Srinagar: Dispelling the apprehension about the new railway link that connects the Kashmir Valley with the country’s railway grid harming the business interests of Jammu, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said on Monday that it, in fact, will benefit the entire Jammu and Kashmir and even Ladakh.
“The new Jammu Railway Division will be beneficial to all. We anticipate significant benefits, including a surge in trade and tourism, and we will ensure that Jammu reaps the rewards of this development as well,” the Chief Minister said while speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the newly carved out rail division at Jammu. He added that Jammu will not suffer economic losses due to the direct rail link to the Kashmir Valley, but a new railways division will create jobs, enhance trade, and boost tourism in the entire erstwhile state of J&K.
Terming the launch of the Jammu Railway Division as a historic moment for J&K, the Chief Minister said that to have their own railway division has been a long-standing demand of the people of the erstwhile state and today, that dream has been fulfilled. Reassuring the people of Jammu that the new division will benefit them economically, Mr Abdullah said, “With its control and coordination to be based in Jammu, local recruitment will be prioritized. This will bring employment opportunities to the region, benefiting our youth and boosting the local economy.”
He added, “Also, the commissioning of the Srinagar-Katra rail line will revolutionize travel in the region…the connectivity would resolve long-standing challenges such as disruptions in winter flights and exorbitant airfares (on the Srinagar route)”.
J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha while speaking on the occasion said that connecting the Kashmir Valley with Kanyakumari through the railway network was a dream which has come true under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He said Jammu is set to become one of the finest railway stations in the world, with the region being elevated to the status of a new railway division. “This will greatly improve connectivity and create new job opportunities in J&K and I am grateful to the Prime Minister and the Union Railway Minister for their focused efforts toward the development of the Union Territory,” he said.
He said that by the end of this month, the Kashmir Valley will be fully connected to the national railway grid, marking a transformative moment for the region. “The railway network will become the lifeline of J&K, driving economic progress and industrialization in the region. Enhanced connectivity means more opportunities, more jobs, and a brighter future for the people of J&K,” he said. He added that, under the leadership of Prime Minister Mr. Modi, projects worth Rs 40,000 crore are being executed in J&K to further enhance the railway network whereas surveys for new railway lines are also underway, aimed at boosting connectivity within the region and to other parts of the country.
Union Minister of State for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences Jitendra Singh said that the inauguration of the new Jammu Railway division is a historic milestone as it would effect significant positive changes in the rural heartlands of Kashmir Valley and ensure broader development of the entire region.
He said that the first train had arrived in J&K in 1972 and that the gap of over fifty-two years between that milestone and Monday’s achievement raises important questions. He asked, “Was it due to administrative inefficiency, a lack of political will, or certain elements opposing the integration of Kashmir with the rest of India through rail connectivity?" However, he also said, “Perhaps it was destiny that we had to wait over fifty years, until the advent of Prime Minister Modiji’s leadership, to witness this moment as it is under his guidance that this dream, once considered impossible, has now been fulfilled.”
