Omar Abdullah referred Vajpayee on completion of USBR-National Project 2002 But forgot Manmohan’s Jammu Poonch National Project 2012

This 6th June PM Modi made Nation to see a Train running on Track linking Kanayakumari with Baramulla

Daya Sagar
It is not out of place to mention here that in was as far back as 2012 (March 22, 2012 ) that the then Railway Minister Shri Mukul Roy while replying to the Railway Budget in Lok Sabha had said that the Jammu- Poonch rail link that will pass through treacherous hilly areas was first approved during the UPA-1 when Lalu Prasad Yadav was the Minister and a survey was also got conducted by him which was a long pending project of a railway line via historic township of Akhnoor that will finally see light of the day with Centre deciding to include it in the list of national projects which are under this category are taken up on priority with special financial provisions.
The ceremony for flagging of Vande Bharat train on the remaining part of Udhampur- Baramulla rail line from Katra to Srinagar by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 6th June 2025 also had the e presence of two MPs from the Jammu Region. While speaking on the occasion Omar Sahib did mention some other going on project projects too, which were surely important, but Omar Sahib missed to refer the most important Jammu— Poonch National Status Rail Line Project which is said to have been ‘ removed’ from the priority list what to talk of requesting / demanding for taking up the said National Project on first priority , and that too when the occasion was of celebration of the completion of another National list Rail Project . It has surely disappointed many..
Member Parliament from Jammu-Poonch and senior BJP leader Jugal Kishore Sharma had on 15th March 2022 while appreciating 2022-23 Union Railway Budget as pro far flung area with huge amount of Rs 140367.13 crores for the development of Railways in the country had requested that since survey for laying of Jammu to Rajouri and Poonch railway line had been completed so provision of funds should be made available soon for laying that new railway line. People of J&K have been very hopefully waiting to see the inauguration for the laying of the project. It was on 7 Jan 2025 that LG J&K Shri Manoj Sinha, expressing gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for dedicating the new Jammu Railway Division, was quoted as having said on 6th Jan 2025 that enhanced connectivity was unlocking J&K’s potential and DPR is under examination for new line between Baramulla-Uri (46kms), Baramulla-Kupwara (39kms), Jammu-Poonch via Akhnoor- Rajouri (223kms), Manwal-Talra via Ramkote, Billawar and Dunera (117kms), Sopore-Kupwara (37kms), Pathankot-Leh (664kms), Bilaspur-Manali-Leh (489kms) and doubling of Baramulla-Banihal line where as surveys were ongoing for the Anantnag-Bijbehara-Pahalgam (78km) and Awantipora-Shopian (28kms) rail lines.
On March 28, 2025 in a written reply to unstarred Q 3314 by Rajay Sabha MP Shri Gulam Ali from Jammu & Kashmir asking < “Will the Minister of Railways be pleased to state: (a) whether Government has a proposal to establish railway connectivity to Jammu- Rajouri-Poonch? and (b) if so, the towns to be connected under the project and the proposed timelines?” > Railway Minister Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw has been quoted as having said on March 28, 2025 that a survey for a new 223-km rail line between Jammu and Poonch via Akhnoor and Rajouri was carried out and the project cost was assessed as Rs 22,771 crore but it has low traffic projections.
Before that according to PTI input of 17th March, 2025 it was also reported that 223- km Jammu-Poonch railway line project had been shelved ‘again’ for being ‘ financially unviable’ by the central government as per the information given by The Ministry of Railways in response to two applications filed by Jammu-based activist Raman Sharma under the Right To Information (RTI) Act for which the final survey report ( estimated cost of Rs 22,771 crore ) for laying broad-gauge line between Jammu & border district of Poonch via Rajouri was submitted in 2018 . In was on 13 March 2025 also that the Railway Minister was quoted as having said in Lok Sabha that Rajouri and Poonch districts continue to lack railway connectivity and there was no immediate plans to prioritize a rail link between Reasi-Katra and Rajouri; a survey for a new Jammu-Poonch rail line via Akhnoor and Rajouri (223 km) had been completed earlier, with an estimated cost of Rs 22,771 crore and that had not moved forward due to low passenger demand.
Earlier also Railway Minister Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw had said in Lok Sabha on 31-07-2024 that a survey for the railway line between Jammu and Poonch via Akhnoor and Rajouri was carried out, and the cost of the 223 km long project was assessed at Rs 22,771 crore and while responding to a question raised by Anantnag-Rajouri MP Mian Altaf from J&K about the Government’s plans to connect the twin districts of Rajouri- Poonch by way of railway he did not quote any plans for implementing the project .
But as per information shared and inferences that could drawn from the disclosures made by RTI Raman Sharma it could be said that the J&K leadership was not aware of the Jammu Poonch rail project having been dropped ‘for the time being’ by the implementing authorities inspite of the project being a National project since it was even in March 2025 that a J&K MP belonging to areas outside Valley had asked for information on the project vide Rajay Sabha unstarred question No.3314 on 28 Mar 2025 whereas the said National Project had been held quite some time back.
To be continued
(The writer is a Sr Journalist & a known analyst of J&K affairs)