Srinagar, November 1
After decades of wait, a train has finally started chugging on rail tracks in Kashmir.

The Northern Railways today conducted trial run of an eight-coach Diesel-Electric Multiple Unit (DEMU) train between Ompora in Badgam district of central Kashmir and Kakapora in Pulwama district of south Kashmir.

The trial run was conducted to check safety aspects on the Kakapora-Pampore-Nowgam-Badgam track in the Qazigund-Baramula section.

The train covered distance of 22 km from Badgam to Kakapora in 18 minutes, attaining maximum speed of 110 km per hour. The train took almost same time in covering the return distance from Kakapora to Badgam.

The train has air-conditioned coaches with heating system and push-back seats. This is for the first time in the history of Indian Railways that a train with all these facilities will cover short distances in a particular area/region.

An inspection for opening of Railways for the carriage of passengers was also carried out on the occasion.

With this successful trial run, a new chapter has been added in the history of Indian Railways.

And for the people of Kashmir, it was a dream come true. Hundreds of people lined up on both sides of the track to watch the Indian Railways create history.

The massive Jammu-Udhampur-Qazigund-Srinagar-Baramula national rail project of Rs 4700 crore aimes at connecting the Kashmir valley with the railway network of mainland India. The project is managed by IRCON.

In 1982, the Centre gave green light to construct 287-km-long rail line between Jammu Tawi in Jammu to Baramula in the Kashmir valley. The Centre had declared it National Rail Project.

However, laying railway lines in Jammu and Kashmir, situated in the midst of the Himalayan mountain chain, was not easy and the Railways started constructing tracks as a separate project.

Initially, rail lines were constructed from Jammu Tawi to Udhampur, which has now become operational. By February next year, Katra, the base camp for Vaishno Devi pilgrims, will also be linked through the rail route.

However, the 148-km area from Katra to Qazigund lies in the Pir Panjal mountain ranges through which flows turbulent Chenab and Ajni Khad rivers. As part of the project, the world’s highest rail bridges have to be built on these rivers. It also includes construction of the country’s longest tunnel —11.429-km-long — in Pir Panjal. This is likely to be completed in 2008.

The construction at present was being carried out on the 119-km-long rail line between Qazigund and Baramula in the Kashmir valley, which is easier.

The train services on the Kakapora-Badgam track were scheduled to start from March this year, but got delayed. — UNI

Awantipora, November 1
Internal turmoil in Pakistan and its President Pervez Musharraf's refrain against Islamist militants operating from its soil had not changed much on the ground as far as insurgence in Kashmir was concerned, the Army said today.

GOC 15 Corps Lt- Gen A.S. Sekhon said the terrorist camps in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir remained "intact", according to reports of intelligence agencies, including IB. "Large number of militants aresitting there trained and ready to cross the border," he said, adding the militants made two infiltration bids last night which the

Army repulsed killing two of them. He was speaking here on the sidelines of a human rights seminar organised at the Victor Force, a Rashtriya Rifles division, headquarters.

Gen Sekhon said the Army had vacated all schools and governmentdispensaries. Defence minister A.K. Antony had said here a few days back the government forces would leave all government buildings by

November 30. Gen Sekhon said the Army was in process of relocating from other locations as well. That the troops leave schools, hospitals and private properties was a key demand of several mainstream parties especially the PDP which often threatened to withdraw support from the Congress-led state government on this ground.

When quizzed about recent killing of a government teacher by some Army personnel in Kupwara without any valid reasons, Gen Sekhon said the Army was taking strict measures against such individual transgressions.

Udhampur, November 1
Chatroo town observed bandh on the third consecutive day on the call given by the militant outfits and tension flared up in Kishtwar when youths shouted provocative slogans when body of the slain militant Maulvi Fayaz was brought to his home this afternoon.

Mauvli Fayaz, a militant of the Hizbul Mujahideen was killed by the security forces on Wednesday night in the Malik Nadh area of Chatroo tehsil in 12 hour- long gun battle. Earlier it was decided to bury the slain militant at Chatroo but at last his body was shifted to his native place at Sarkut, 2 km from Kishtwar. As the body of the slain militant reached his native place some youths shouted provocative slogans which resulted into flaring up of the tension in the area.

Chatroo town observed bandh on the call of militants to protest against the killing of some militants. Militants had pasted posters in the bazaars and other important places threatening people if the bandh was not observed in the area.

Most of the shops, business establishments and schools remained closed while there was no traffic in the area.

Jammu, November 1
Four persons were killed and one person was injured when a car was hit by two buses coming from opposite directions on the Jammu Pathankot highway near the Samba area today, the police said.

The victims were identified as Neelam Gupta, wifeof former J&K IGP (CID) P.K. Gupta, her father and mother N.D. Gupta and Sushila Gupta and driver Anil Sharma, it said.

Another passenger in the car, Yashpal Sharma, was injured and was taken to Samba hospital.

A case has been registered, it said. — PTI