REASI : Residents of Kauri in the Reasi district, which is home to the world’s highest train bridge over the Chenab, are furious about their demand for a railway station which they believe will safeguard the future of their coming generations after parting away their land for the project.A vital connection in the 111-km section from Katra to Banihal that is a part of the famed Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway connection (USBRL) project is the 1.3-km-long Chenab rail bridge, which is 35 metres higher than Paris’ iconic Eiffel Tower and placed 359 metres above the riverbed. Residents of Kauri claimed that although construction on the renowned bridge is almost finished, the railway station is still far off in the distance. They asked railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha for personal assistance.When construction on the bridge first began, around 20 years ago, we were promised a railway station in the neighbourhood to handle the large influx of incoming guests to the famous bridge. As the dream presented to us to strengthen our economy and ensure the future of our children appears to not be realised, we are feeling cheated right now, local resident said . ”Many residents gave up their land for the project with a promise for a better future,” he said, ”with the railway officials abandoning the intention to establish a station near the famous bridge.They are no longer employed, and their children’s futures likewise appear grim, Singh added. The 42 km from Reasi town base of the steel and concrete arch bridge between Bakkal and Kauri was finished in November 2017, enabling for the start of the main arch’s construction, which was finished in April 2021. A ‘Golden Joint’ on the overarch deck of the bridge, which was completed in August of last year, marked another bridge milestone and made it possible to lay the track, which was just recently finished. ”We won’t let the train pass the bridge without a railway station.Rajinder Singh, a former captain, said, “We would sit on the railway and let them pass the train over our bodies. According to him, residents of six tehsils in the Reasi district will profit from the Kauri railway station. “We have already frequently sent memoranda to higher authorities in support of our demand. The government will be held accountable if anything bad occurs,” he said. It is regrettable, according to Panch Om Prakash, that no one in the government pays attention to the Kauri locals. If our request is not granted, we will abstain from voting in the upcoming elections to show our displeasure. Five lakh people in Kauri will suffer because of the absence of a railway station, he claimed.Out of the whole 272-km Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail link (USBRL) project, 161 km were completed in stages. The first phase, consisting of the 118-kilometre Qazigund-Baramulla segment, was finished in October 2009; the 18-kilometre Banihal-Qazigund portion was finished in June 2013, and the 25-km Udhampur-Katra section was completed in July 2014. The work on the project, which has been dubbed the most difficult railway infrastructure undertaking after independence, began in 1997 and has missed many dates while experiencing significant cost escalation. To connect Kashmir with the rest of the nation by train, the 111-km Katra-Banihal section, currently under construction, is anticipated to become operational early next year.
