Omar Abdullah referred Vajpayee on completion of USBR-National Project 2002 but forgot Manmohan’s Jammu Poonch National Project 2012

This 6th June PM Modi made Nation to see a train running on Track linking Kanayakumari with Baramulla

DAYA SAGAR
A PIB press release posted on: 04 June 2025 6:18PM had said “The Vande Bharat Express is set to glide swiftly between Katra and Srinagar, cutting down travel time and setting a new benchmark in comfort for the people of Jammu and Kashmir. This development is more than just a new train service. It stands as a symbol of how far the region’s railway network has come over the last 11 years. On 6 June, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Jammu and Kashmir to mark this progress. He will flag off new Vande Bharat trains and inaugurate two engineering marvels: the world’s highest railway bridge over the Chenab and India’s first cable stayed rail bridge at Anji”. And to the delight of subjects of J&K Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 6th June physically flagged off the inaugural first Vande Bharat Express train to Srinagar from Katra Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Station after the completion of the 272-km Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail link project (USBRL ).
The J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah while addressing the occasion had expressed very deep gratitude of the people of J&K to the Prime Minister, for having shown intimate concern for fulfilling the dream project that was visioned by the then Prime Minister Smt Indira Gandhi in 1982 for linking Kashmir Valley by rail via Jammu Tawi Station with rest of India and was even given the Status of National Project in 2002 by the then PM Atal Behari Vajpayee Ji but traffic could be started only upto Udhampur even by 2005 , by saying < “Wazir e Azam Sahib is ko kismat kahiye… mukaddar kahiye.. beech beech mein jab kabi rail ke koyi bade porgram huye ,kahin na kahin meri khushkismati rahi hai ke unke saath mujhe judne ka moka mila.. . pehli bar jab Anantnag rail station ka inauguration huya us mein…. jab Banihal rail tunnel khula us me … aur meri shayad pehli Hakoomat ka akhri programme.. theek isi jagah aapke saath 2014 mein …. aur itefaak ki baat yeh hai Wazir e Azam Sahib ke oos programme mein chaar log shamil the ….., chaar aaj bhi aapke saath is programme mein baithe hain… aap oos bakt pehli baar Wazir e Azam bane the .. election ke theek baad aap jahan aaye aur aap ne Mata ki kripa se jahan Katra railway station ka udgattan keeya aur ooske baad lagataar teen bar election jeet kar is mulak ke Wazir e Azam bane rahe. Aaap ke saath aapke MOS Dr Jitendra Singh sahib bi oos programme mein majood the ,jahan tak ke hamare mananniyae LT Governor Manoj Sinha Sahib oos bakat MOS Railway ki jimmedari samhale huye the jab jahan katra railway station ka udhgatan huya aur main Wazir e Aala ke tor par… Manoj Sinha sahib ki ,agar aap dekhein to , Mata ki kripase promotion hua , meri aap agar mane to thoda sa demotion huya ,mein reeyasat ka Wazir e Aala tha .. ab UT ka Wazir e Aala hoon. Is rail ke khab bahut logon ne dekha tha . ……….. Kashmir ke saath baki mulk ko jodne ka khaa bangrejon ne bhi deka lekin Jo angrej poora nahin kar paye be aapke haathon huya aur Jammu Kashmir ..Kashmir ki baaddi ko mulk ke baki hisson se jod diya geya . Is moke par mujh se bahut badi bhool hogi agar main poorv Pradhan Mantri Jenab Atal Behari Vajpayee ka jikar na karoon. Kayon ki yeh project..jaroor 1983- 84 mein is ka sange bunyaad Rakha geya ……… ab jake yeh project mukkamal huya …………aur yeh tab huya jab Vajpayee Sahib ne is project of National importance ka darja deeya is ka budget mein prabdhaan kar yeh project aaj mukamal huya. … ….. Wazir e Azam Sahib aajaapkesubhhathon se je ek aur infrastructure project Jammu Kashmir ka mukammal huya hai ,esi tarah keyee aur project age bad rahe hain, cha he Jammu ka ring road ho, Srinagar ka ring road ho, chahe Delhi Amirtsar Katra express way ho.. cha he Jammu Srinagar four laning high way ka kaam ho..Jammu airport ke expeansion ka kam chahe Srinagar Airport ke expansion ka kaam… Jammu railway ke network ka expansion …. …Aaj is mokae pe Jammu Kashmir ke logon ki aur se Wazir e azam sahib mein aap ka dil ki gehraeeion se shukriya aur mubarak bad kartahoon …. Bahut bahut shukria”> .
No doubt start of rail service from Katra/ Jammu/ Delhi / Kanayakumari to Srinagar is the most lovable and decorated achievement for the people of J&K which will also further boost the economy of not only Kashmir valley but will also boost the economy of the areas outside Kashmir Valley , signs of which had started emerging with the rail line getting through between Sangaldan ( Ramban district) and Banihal with the people seeing increase of the visiters to Tata Pani which is just four Km from Sangaldan.
But subjects of areas outside Kashmir Valley were expecting something more from Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on the occasion of celebrations held in Katra by Railway Ministry where PM was to inaugurate . Omar Sahib had indirectly referred to delay in completion of line from Jammu to Baramulla and had expressed gratitude to Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee ji who had given the project ( conceived in early 1980s) the status of National Project in 2002. Omar Sahib had also praised the ‘Center’ for speedily working on some other J&K related projects but he had missed to refer the Jammu Poonch Rail line via Rajouri Project which was given the status of National Project in 2012 and the survey for which had been completed in 2017 estimating the likely expenditure around Rs.23000 Cr and to great disappointment of the subjects of J&K it has been learnt in 2025 that the said project had been dropped professing that there is no viable passenger traffic expected. The proposed railway line connecting Jammu with Poonch via Akhnoor and Rajouri has been estimated to cost of Rs 22,771 crore, according to information provided by the Minister for Railways in response to Rajay Sabha unstarred question No.3314 on 28 Mar 2025. However, the project faces uncertainty due to low traffic projections, raising concerns over its viability. The minister confirmed that a survey for the 223-km railway line was conducted, but its implementation is subject to multiple factors, including economic viability, last-mile connectivity, and overall funding availability. The Railway Minister had talked of economic viability but so strangely the Minister appeared to have over looked the fact that the project has the status of National Project.
Should not Omar Abdullah ji and the very senior MPs from Jammu Region present on the occasion have seized the opportunity to draw the attention of Prime Minister and the Railway Minister towards the Jammu- Poonch Rail line that has also been put in the list of national projects long back ( 2012) ? to be continued
(The writer is a Sr Journalist & a known analyst of J&K affairs)