Chander Suta Dogra writes in the Outlook Magazine about the first railway line of the Kashmir Valley.
Covering a 60km stretch from Budgam to Anantnag, the line is now ready and is expected to be operational any time soon. This is the first time a railway line is being constructed within the Kashmir valley, and needless to say, there is a lot of excitement
Excerpts:
Welcome to Kashmir’s newest passion. Forget the militants, forget the violence, forget even ‘azaadi’ for a brief moment.
Come evening, and all roads lead to wherever the bogies of Kashmir’s first-ever railway train are parked for the day.
An interesting line in the article:
So enthusiastic are Kashmiris about the rail line that militants have refrained from attacking it directly.
Perhaps progress does bring with it a solution to other problems? I hope so.