He said the enthusiasm among men, women and children can be gauged by their turnout in huge numbers on both sides of the railway track and the hill tops to witness the first train chugging along the track during the inspection by the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) on Friday.
Qamar Din of the same village said the joy of having a train service after seven decades of the country’s independence is very difficult to describe.
“Our village is located 40 km from Ramban district headquarters and considered as backward in every sphere, be it health, education or road network. We have to spend a lot of money to take a patient to hospital while our students lack basic facilities,” he said, citing the very low pass percentage of students of the government high school in the class 10 board exam.
With the start of the train service and a station in the village, he said, they can travel easily to outside their village, including Banihal and Srinagar, for educational and healthcare purposes and return on the same day.
Ramban Deputy Commissioner Baseer-ul-Haq Chaudhary said, “This railway line brings immense joy to not only the people of Ramban but to the entire Chenab Valley, fulfilling a decades-old dream.”
District Development Council (DDC) chairperson and National Conference leader Shamshad Shan termed the proposed inauguration of the railway line a “historic moment” and said the start of the service will transform the lives of the people, especially the downtrodden sections of society.
She said the round-the-year mobility will facilitate easy access to markets, promote business and help employment generation.
DDC member Khari Fayaz Naik, who is associated with the Democratic Progressive Azad Party led by former chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, said it is a welcome development for the remote area.
