UDHAMPUR, 14 April 2005 — Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh yesterday flagged off the first train on a cross-Kashmir service which will eventually link the militancy-wracked northern parts of the Himalayan region with the rest of India.
The train between Jammu, Kashmir’s southern winter capital, and Udhampur, about 55 km further northeast, will eventually end in Baramulla, 55 km west of the summer capital Srinagar — all areas considered to be hotbeds of militants fighting Indian rule in the state.
Flagging off the first stretch of the route, which cost about 5.1 billion rupees ($1.2 million), Manmohan declared that the entire project would be completed by 2007.
“We want to start a new phase in Jammu and Kashmir — a phase of not just peace but also of prosperity and development,” Singh told a rally at the inauguration ceremony organized under a heavy security blanket.
“When this route is completed, it will help promote trade, commerce and tourism in the region,” he added.
A train service to the mountainous region has been a long-standing demand of people of the region who accuse the Indian government of neglecting development in the state. The foundation stone for the line was laid in 1984.
In the second phase of the project, the train will connect Udhampur to the town of Katra.
Railway Minister Lalu Prasad, despite sharing the stage with Manmohan and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, drew the loudest cheers at the flag off function.
When Lalu rose to address the gathering at the new railway station here, he was greeted with applause and lusty cheers. In contrast, the applause for Sayeed and Manmohan, who spoke after Lalu, was rather muted.
Lalu promised that the project to set up a 344-km railway link from Jammu to the Kashmir Valley by 2007 would create numerous jobs. He also said locals would be given preference in setting up kiosks and food stalls at new railway stations in Kashmir.
“We will focus on completing this project, which will usher in revolutionary changes,” Lalu said.
