Jammu, Oct 23: J&K BJP Health Cell co-convener Dr Varinder Sharma has appealed to the authorities to extend the halt time of all inbound and outbound Vande Bharat trains at Jammu Tawi Railway Station from two minutes to five minutes.
Dr Sharma stressed that almost half of the passengers travelling on Vande Bharat services either board or alight at Jammu itself. He pointed out that a considerable proportion of them are pilgrims and tourists carrying additional luggage, for whom a two-minute window is simply inadequate to board or disembark safely and comfortably.
In a press statement, he further highlighted that a significant number of patients also travel to and from Jammu on these trains. “Within such a brief halt, it becomes extremely difficult to assist them, manage their belongings and ensure that they are seated or have alighted without distress or risk,” he said.
Dr Sharma noted that it was the standard policy of Indian Railways to provide a five-minute halt at large junctions and stations with substantial passenger footfall. Jammu Tawi, being the principal railhead of the region and the gateway for pilgrims visiting the shrines of Jammu and Kashmir, clearly merited the same consideration.
In this context, he appealed to Dr Jitendra Singh, Union Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and to J&K BJP president and Member of Parliament, Sat Sharma, to look into the matter urgently and take it up with the Railway Minister in order to secure a favourable decision. Dr Varinder Sharma recalled that Dr Jitendra Singh, on numerous occasions in the past, raised railway-related issues concerning Jammu and Kashmir and ensured that they were resolved.
He expressed confidence that this matter too would receive due attention. “This is a genuine public concern affecting thousands of passengers daily, particularly the elderly, the sick and those travelling with families,” Dr Sharma said. He hoped that the authorities would respond positively and act in the interest of Jammu and its travelling public.
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