CM meets Rly Minister, seeks more trains for state

Tribune News Service

Jammu, October 17

Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti called on Railway Minister Piyush Goel in New Delhi today. She brought several issues of the state pertaining to the Railways with the Union Minister and sought their early redressal.

The Chief Minister strongly pitched for the early completion of Katra-Banihal section of the Jammu-Baramulla railway line to connect the state with rest of the country through an all-weather link. The Union Minister issued on-the-spot instructions to the Railway Ministry for a review and advancement of the completion date of the Katra-Banihal section.

She also sought the extension of rail link up to Kupwara in Kashmir along with Poonch and Rajouri in Jammu province.

To which, Goel informed the Chief Minister that preliminary survey in this regard had been completed and the project was being examined for funding in the Central Government.

The Union Minister also informed Mehbooba that the Railways would run cold storage containers from Jammu to other parts of the country to ferry horticulture produce from the state. It was agreed upon in the meeting that the Horticulture Secretary would pursue the matter with the Railway authorities in this regard.

Piyush Goel assured all support from his ministry to boost tourism in the state. He informed the Chief Minister that specially designed trains would soon chug off from Jammu to Katra while more such trains would be introduced in Kashmir from spring next year.

The Chief Minister also raised other issues like giving employment to locals by IRCON, a halt station at Naina Batpora, expediting work on other halt stations on the Banihal-Baramulla railway line and transfer back of land at Banihal for constructing a stadium there.

The Union Minister assured the Chief Minister of a positive approach and substantive action by his ministry on the demands raised.