Responding to the controversy over the railways’ proposal to deboard Delhi-bound passengers from Kashmir at Katra for changing trains, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Sunday said that such a move will defeat the very purpose of the line and render the investment of thousands of crores pointless.

The rail link between Delhi and Srinagar is expected to be inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi in the next few days.

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In a post on X, Omar said, “Check the train/passengers in Katra or Jammu sure but NO change of train will be supported by us. That said there is no concrete proposal & when there is we will give our inputs/suggestions.”

“Just to remove any chance of misunderstanding, while we understand the need to secure the train & the passengers who will travel using it, making passengers change trains will defeat the very purpose of the line and render the investment of thousands of crores pointless”, he wrote.

Addressing the growing concerns over the proposed stopover for the Delhi-Srinagar train at Katra, Omar said, “If it is necessary for security, then I don’t think anyone should object to it. The people who are travelling on the train will also want that there is no accident or attack, that there is no danger to their lives. And we also want there to be no danger to the train.

Peoples Conference chief Sajad Lone quipped on his social media handle, telling Omar Abdullah, “Stop justifying everything and anything that the BJP does. The change of train in Katra erodes the train of all its psychological relevance. By justifying security excuses, you can virtually justify everything. That is what current and past governments have done.”

Opposition leaders Mehbooba Mufti and Altaf Bukhari had recently opposed the move of train change at Katra and said this would cause inconvenience to passengers.

It is worth mentioning that during the final trial run of the train between Katra and Banihal, a senior railway officer had said that due to security concerns, travellers from Srinagar to Delhi or other destinations, and vice versa, will need to deboard the train at Katra railway station. After scanning the luggage, they would then board another train to continue their journey.