Panthers Party demands restoration of Katra-Pathankot train service

Tribune News Service

Jammu, February 6

Hundreds of National Panthers Party (NPP) activists, including youth and students, led by Balwant Singh Mankotia, state party president, gheraoed the office of the Divisional Traffic Manager (DTM), Northern Railway, at the Jammu railway station. They were demanding restoration of the Katra-Pathankot (via Jammu-Udhampur) DMU (Diesel Multiple Unit).

The services of the DMU were discontinued from January 3 due to some technical reasons, which have been causing grave inconvenience to the commuters, including employees and students.

The NPP earlier had given two-day ultimatum on February 2 to the DTM to restore the services of the DMU, but nothing was done. Balwant Singh Mankotia said there was a spare DMU at the Ferozepur Headquarters of the Northern Railway, but it was sent to Kashmir last week as a “standby” to a currently functional railway service. He added that the DMU had been lying idle in Kashmir and the people of Udhampur district were suffering and facing grave inconvenience during their routine travel.

The activists, raising slogans against the Ministry of Railways and DTM, Jammu-Tawi, ghearoed the office of Ashwani Kumar, Station Manager, as the DTM, Jammu, RN Meena was not available in his office. They demanded immediate restoration of the DMU service.

Balwant lamented that apart from socio-political discrimination meted out to the Jammu region, the residents are also made to suffer at the luxury of Kashmir in other spheres as well.

Balwant also spoke to Naresh Kumar, DRM Northern Railway, Jammu-Tawi, and gave him an ultimatum of 10 days, or else the NPP would be forced to intensify the stir.

The DRM assured the activists that the grievances of the people would be reported to the Ministry of Railways on the top priority and the services of the DMU would be restored at the earliest.