Flights arranged, roads cleared as panicked tourists leave J&K
Authorities, including security agencies, were engaged in a mammoth evacuation operation on Wednesday.
Srinagar/Jammu: The Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people, almost all of them tourists, has set off a scramble among an estimated 200,000 tourists in Jammu & Kashmir to exit the Union Territory.
With limited flights and trains, and road transport fraught with risks, authorities, including security agencies, were engaged in a mammoth evacuation operation on Wednesday.
“It’s heartbreaking to see the exodus of our guests from the Valley after yesterday’s tragic terror attack in Pahalgam but at the same time we totally understand why people would want to leave,” chief minister Omar Abdullah posted on X.
Inclement weather had closed the road between Jammu and Srinagar but the state government opened it partially on Wednesday to help tourists return home.
“While DGCA & the Ministry of Civil Aviation are working to organise extra flights, NH-44 between Srinagar & Jammu has been reconnected for traffic in a single direction,” Abdullah added on X.
“I’ve directed the administration to facilitate traffic between Srinagar and Jammu allowing tourist vehicles to leave. This will have to be done in a controlled and organised way because the road is still unstable in places and we are also working hard to clear all the stranded vehicles. We will not be able to permit completely free movement of vehicles at the moment and we hope that everyone will cooperate with us,” he said.
The security establishment deployed a three-tier security cover along the highway to facilitate the movement of vehicles.
But the bigger challenge was at Srinagar, the hub of flight operations and at Jammu railway station.
Civil aviation minister K Rammohan Naidu held an urgent meeting with all airline operators. “Airlines have been directed to maintain regular fare levels, ensuring that no passenger is burdened during this sensitive time,” the ministry said in a statement.
The statement said that special evacuation flights from Srinagar — two each to Delhi and Mumbai — have been arranged, while an official in Srinagar separately said seven special flights were operated for stranded tourists. “All these flights were fully occupied,” the official said requesting anonymity.
The Srinagar airport operates 104 flights everyday.
The railways, meanwhile, said that special trains are being arranged for people returning from Jammu and additional rakes will be deployed “as and when needed”.
“Around 40 to 42 trains daily operate from Jammu railway station for various cities. A special train with seven general coaches, eight sleeper coaches, two 3rd AC coaches and one 3rd AC economy coach... will leave on Wednesday night from Katra via Udhampur and Jammu to New Delhi,” chief public relations officer (CPRO) Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyay said
“To cater to the travellers returning from Jammu the Indian Railways will be running special trains... The Northern Railways will be deploying additional rakes as and when needed,” Upadhaya said.
The Railways also set up a help desk at Jammu station and Sri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra station.
The family members of the deceased were given priority while leaving the Union territory. “It was ensured that the family members take the same flight in which deceased are being flown back,” said an airport official.
There was no immediate response from the UT administration on the return of the tourists.
Meanwhile, security around tourist spots, and hotels and resorts was stepped up on Wednesday. While most tourists spent the day in their hotels, people still in Pahalgam after the attack were shifted to Srinagar. Survivors from Tuesday’s attack were provided accommodation at the Pahalgam Club.
The administration also set up an emergency control room in deputy commissioner’s office in Srinagar to assist tourists.
(With inputs from Vrinda Tulsian and Neha LM Tripathi)