Jammu

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday welcomed the Railway Ministry’s decision to put three proposed rail projects in the Union Territory on hold, saying the routes lacked public demand and would have caused avoidable loss to productive land and tourist areas.

However, he urged the Centre to increase both the frequency and the number of coaches of Vande Bharat trains operating between Katra and Srinagar, citing heavy demand and difficulty in ticket availability.

Earlier in the day, National Conference MLA from Pahalgam Altaf Ahmad Wani informed the J&K Assembly that Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had decided to halt three railway projects proposed to connect Srinagar with Pahalgam and Shopian. He credited the chief minister for raising the concerns with the Centre.

“There was no specific public demand for these railway lines. Road connectivity is already good and proper highways have been constructed. The proposed routes were passing through productive orchards and key tourist areas, especially towards Pahalgam,” Abdullah told reporters on the sidelines of a function here.

He said elected representatives and local residents from the affected areas had met him and conveyed that the projects would bring losses rather than benefits.

“They asked me to convey their concerns to the Centre, and I did so after discussing the issue with the railway minister on a couple of occasions. I requested him to personally assess the situation,” the chief minister said.

Abdullah clarified that the government was not opposed to rail expansion per se, but emphasised the need for meaningful connectivity.

“I told him that if the intention was to take the railway via Pahalgam to Ladakh, or to connect Rajouri-Poonch through Shopian, then we could agree to it. But if the railway line merely touches Pahalgam and Shopian without addressing any real demand, then it serves little purpose and only leads to the acquisition of valuable land,” he said.

Welcoming the decision to halt the projects, Abdullah said the sentiments of the local population were taken into account and the issue was examined thoroughly before arriving at the decision.

Replying to a question on the operation of Vande Bharat trains connecting Kashmir with the rest of the country despite recent heavy snowfall, the chief minister described the rail link as a welcome development but flagged concerns over capacity constraints.

“The reality is that people are unable to get tickets on the Vande Bharat train. When it was announced, people believed that on days when flights are cancelled or highways are closed, they could simply take the train,” he said.

“But now I am told that tickets have to be booked three to four months in advance, and even then a seat is not guaranteed. How am I supposed to know what the road conditions will be four months from now?” Abdullah asked.

While congratulating the Railways on the successful operation of the service, he made two specific requests.

“First, the frequency of Vande Bharat trains should be increased. Second, the length of the train should be extended. At present, this is the shortest version with only eight coaches,” he said.

Abdullah added that Vande Bharat trains with 16, 18 or even 20 coaches were being introduced elsewhere.

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“Let us not talk about 16 or 20 coaches for now — at least increase it from eight to 12,” he said.