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| Students show way to politicians, forced authorities to restart DMU services | | | CHAMAN KAUL:
UDAMPUR/JAMMU, NOV 5: Bizarre but true. Just after two days the rail services were started to connect South Kashmir to its northern part by Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, the same services were withdrawn by authorities from Udampur to Jammu, which was also flagged off by Prime Minister two years earlier with similar enthusiasm. On the time of flagging off almost all the politicians from Jammu were present but when the DMU services were withdrawn not even a single politician showed concern throwing passengers especially students and employees at the mercy of God.
According to sources story goes like this, as, on 28th October DMU services were started in Kashmir and on 30th October the operations were withdrawn in Udampur for unknown reasons. Watching the situation helplessly for two days students and youth affected with the act finally came down to jam the track at Majalta first station from Jammu towards Udampur. About 400 students jammed railway track for more than four hours creating havoc, authorities under pressure were compelled to restart the DMU services unconditionally.
“DMU travel just costs Rs 9 one side while the general ticket in the Express train costs Rs 32 and in gross we got a pass for Rs 100 for a month as we cannot afford huge expenses being students” Amit Khajuria a student of higher studies said. He said about 300 to 400 students travel to and fro to every day for pursuing the studies both academic and professional.
“Youth has turned aware about their rights and responsibilities, as politicians of Jammu are always either confronting each other for their party politics or show no concern over such issues to prove their obedience towards their yes masters in Kashmir Valley” said Sahil Gupta and added that youth has to play an important role in streamlining the things done wrongly for Jammu region in the past sixty years. He said not only the students but hundreds of families are earning livelihood from the train also and withdrawing its operation can not tolerated.
It is relevant to mention that Rs 510-crore rail track between Jammu and Udhampur for the people of hilly Shivalik areas was flagged of by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh from Udhampur to Delhi via Jammu. Along 53-km-long track several villages which are not even connected with roads became the only lifeline, linking them with the rest of the country. The track for this awesome journey took 21 years to build as engineers had to conquer one challenge after the other. It has many engineering feats, including the region’s highest rail bridge, ‘Gambhir Bridge’. Apart from the 2-km-long bridge, it also has one nearly 2.50-km tunnel, which is even longer than the historic Jawahar Tunnel, the only road connectivity between Jammu and Kashmir. Jammu-Udhampur track is the part of the 340-km-long Jammu-Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramula rail project.
Moreover, project has a long and chequered history as it was conceived over 110 years ago in 1898, when the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir, Partap Singh, visualized linking Jammu and Srinagar via a train line. The project remained forgotten even after Independence for a long time till about in mid 1980s when the authorities once again thought of it and the work on it got started. The 54-km-long Jammu-Udhampur line was inaugurated three years ago. It took 21 years and Rs 515 crore for its construction. The line has 20 major tunnels and 158 bridges, which makes it unparallel to any railway routes in the country and world. *************photo railway**********
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