Wanpoh (Anantnag), October 28
Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee today said the examination for recruitments in the Railways would now be a one-day affair across the country.

She was addressing a gathering on the occasion of inauguration of the 19-km Anantnag-Qazigund railway line by the Prime Minister in presence of UPA chairperson and Congress president Sonia Gandhi in south Kashmir here.

She said the examination would also be held in Urdu. She also announced concessions for students undertaking rail travel in Kashmir and sops for minority women and economically backward classes.

On the question of recruiting a member from each of the families whose land has been acquired for the rail project, she said 375 cases had already been screened while the process was on in respect of the remaining families.

She also announced to launch a new train service between Jammu and Varanasi. The railway station at Jammu Tawi would be made multi-functional, she added.

Responding to Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah’s demand, she said the work on railway lines from Jammu to Poonch, Ramban to Doda and Baramulla to Kupwara was already on.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah highlighted the importance of railway in the economic development of the state. “We are eagerly waiting for the day when the valley will get linked with Jammu and the rest of the country through rail link,” he said. He asked for connecting Kupwara, Poonch, Rajouri, Doda, Kishtwar and other areas of the state through rail link.

With the inauguration of the 18.359-km rail link between Anatnag and Qazigund, the 119-km railway line from Qazigund to Baramulla has become operative. The project has been completed at an expenditure of about Rs 3,250 crore.