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Navratri special trains to Katra cancelled due to farmers’ stir in Punjab
We are waiting to see if the trains can be run on Friday, said Jammu railway station director.
Scheduled to leave from Delhi with devotees on Thursday, two Navratri special trains to Katra — Vande Bharat and Shri Shakti Express — were cancelled at the last minute owing to the farmers’ agitation in Punjab over the controversial agrarian laws.
This has come a day after the Jammu and Kashmir administration had mobilised its resources to ensure strict adherence to the Covid-19 guidelines ahead of the nine-day Navratri festivities at Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Katra here.
Jammu railway station director and senior divisional traffic manager Sudhir Singh said, “Vande Bharat and Shri Shakti Express trains from Delhi to Katra have been cancelled due to the farmers’ agitation in Punjab. Every day it appears that the protest will subside but it’s still lingering.”
“Trains can’t be run in this situation. We are waiting to see if the trains can be moved on Friday,” he added.
The official said that a passenger train usually transports 1,000 people. “However, it depends upon ticketing and how many people want to visit the cave shrine,” he added.
“The J&K administration in tandem with the railways has made all arrangements for the Navratri festival. The first Vande Bharat train had to depart from New Delhi on Thursday. Now, we will see if we can run it on Friday,” he said.
The UT administration has made Covid-19 testing arrangements in Katra, Udhampur and Jammu. Security is also in place in Katra and at the cave shrine.
Reasi district police chief SSP Rashmi Wazir said, “We have deployed five quick reaction teams in Katra and three in the Bhawan (sanctum sanctorum). There are eight police checkposts along the tracks leading up to the shrine besides round-the-clock patrolling during the festival.”
She added that armed security personnel, policemen and the CRPF will guard the pilgrimage site 24x7. “We are confident of an incident-free Navratri festival,” she said. Wazir said Udhampur-Reasi range deputy inspector general of police, Sujit Kumar, reviewed the arrangements for the festival in Katra on Tuesday.
“The cap on per day pilgrims to the shrine has been increased to 7,000 from 5,000. During the festival, two special trains, apart from Vande Bharat, will also run from Varanasi and Delhi,” she added.
The health department has also augmented its infrastructure by setting up more testing kiosks and staff in Katra, including the railway station. Every pilgrim arriving in Katra will have to undergo a rapid antigen test before being allowed to proceed on the pilgrimage. If anyone tests positive, they will be quarantined in Katra for 10 days. A few hotels have also been identified for paid quarantine.
However, if the persons who test positive don’t want to be quarantined for 10 days, they can avail cabs to return home by road.
Reasi district commissioner Indu Kanwal Chib said, “There are 10 testing kiosks at the Katra railway station for the visiting pilgrims and five more will be added depending upon the bookings.”
