Omar Abdullah the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir talked about train security for passengers heading into the Kashmir Valley. He said it doesn’t make sense to have people switch trains at Katra just before the valley. He thinks that defeats the whole point of the train line and makes the big investment in it pointless. He agrees security is important but thinks it can be done without forcing people to change trains.
The Indian government wants to make sure train travel to the Kashmir Valley is safe. The government’s idea was to have passengers get off one train at Katra and then get on another to go into the valley. Abdullah doesn’t think this is a good idea because it’s a hassle and takes away from having a direct train route. People are worried about finding a way to keep people safe while still making travel easy after putting so much money into the project.
Abdullah believes that security checks shouldn’t ruin the reason for the train line. He suggests doing thorough passenger checks at Katra instead of making people change trains. His comments show that local leaders don’t always agree with the government’s safety rules. He wants the train line to be fast and easy to use since so much money has already been spent on it. He wants safety measures that make sense and don’t cause problems.