LG, Dy CM hail PM Modi
BENGALURU, Aug 10: Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the Amritsar-Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Vande Bharat Train service virtually on Sunday.
Lt Governor Manoj Sinha expressed gratitude to the Prime Minister for dedicating the Vande Bharat Train service between Amritsar to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Station to the nation.
“The new Vande Bharat Train will ensure ease of travel for devotees of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi and spur the growth momentum of the local economy,” the L-G said.
He observed that the transport infrastructure of Jammu and Kashmir, particularly in railways, has witnessed unprecedented growth under the leadership of the Prime Minister. He said the first freight train, which reached Anantnag from Punjab on Saturday, has marked a significant milestone in the transport infrastructure and trade of the Kashmir valley.
The Lieutenant Governor posted on X: “Grateful to Hon’ble PM Shri Narendra Modi Ji for flagging off Vande Bharat Train between Amritsar to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Station. J&K’s transport infrastructure, particularly in railways, has witnessed unprecedented growth under the leadership of Hon’ble PM. New Vande Bharat Train will ensure ease of travel for devotees of Mata Vaishno Devi and spur the growth momentum of the local economy. Yesterday, first freight train had reached Anantnag from Punjab, marking a significant milestone in Kashmir Valley’s transport infra and trade”.
Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra – Amritsar Vande Bharat Express Train will depart from Katra at 6.40 a.m. to reach Amritsar at 12.20 p.m. the same day. In return direction, the Amritsar- Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Vande Bharat Express Train will depart from Amritsar at 4.25 p.m. to reach Katra at 10 p.m.
The Train will run six days a week except Tuesday.
The Vande Bharat train service currently operates from Katra to Baramulla, and before the end of the year, it will operate from Jammu railway station, making the journey easier and hassle-free in future.
The arrival of the freight train at Anantnag on Saturday with cement for infrastructure development will boost the local economy as it will make the to-and-fro carriage of goods cheaper, easier, and will operate 24/7.
Presently, merchandise to and from the Valley is transported by trucks through the Jammu-Srinagar national highway. This highway is unpredictable, especially during the rainy season, as it gets blocked by shooting stones, mudslides and landslides, stranding hundreds of vehicles carrying goods for days.
This stranding of trade goods, especially the perishable items like fruits, vegetables, poultry, mutton, etc., causes heavy losses to traders.
This nightmare of the Kashmiri traders would end with the regular operation of goods trains between the rest of the country and the Valley.
The largest industry of Kashmir is the horticulture, which thrives chiefly on the Valley’s apple production. This sector of the local economy would get the maximum benefit by the operationalisation of goods trains to the Valley.
In Bengaluru, the prime minister on Sunday flagged off three Vande Bharat Express trains — from Bengaluru to Belagavi, from Punjab’s Amritsar to Sri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra in Jammu and Kashmir and from Nagpur (Ajni) to Pune.
The Vaishno Devi shrine is witness to all this in the last 11 years. The first train reached Jammu and Kashmir in 1972 and it took more than 50 years to connect Kashmir by train.
The LG thanked the prime minister for the Vande Bharat train between Amritsar and Katra.
Referring to the first freight train reaching the Anantnag station in south Kashmir from Punjab on Saturday, Sinha said it marks a significant milestone in the Kashmir valley’s transport infrastructure and trade.
Addressing the gathering before the flag-off ceremony at the Katra railway station, Deputy Chief Minister Choudhary lauded Modi for making the dream of railway connectivity between Kashmir and the rest of the country a reality.
“We are lucky to witness the dreams that our elders saw getting fulfilled under the leadership of Modi. Our prime minister and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah flagged off the first train from Katra to Kashmir (on June 6) — a historic moment as many were of the opinion that the train could never reach Kashmir, which was infamous for terror activities. But the region has witnessed fast development,” he said.
