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MANGALORE: The Central Armed Police Force personnel (CAPF) in this coastal city can now look forward to a hassle-free journey to Jammu Tawi on board train no.16687 Jammu Tawi Navyug express starting on May 20. Thanks to an initiative taken by Union ministries of railways and home affairs, one AC-III tier coach attached to this train will be exclusively reserved for armed police force personnel and is one among seven trains where this facility has been introduced.

K Jayanth Murali, inspector-general of police, Central Industrial Security Force, will flag off the train with this newly attached coach at the Mangalore Central Railway station. Personnel of the central armed police force are frequently required to travel long distances, most of the time in classes of their entitlement and sometimes forced to travel by general or unreserved compartments. This leads to uncomfortable and stress filled journey for them.

Under the scheme of the ministries, one AC-III tier coach reserved exclusively for these personnel would be attached to select long distance trains. In the first phase, seven trains have been allotted to get attached with this special coach exclusively for these personnel. In Southern Railway, this facility has been extended to train no. 16031 Andaman Express from Chennai to Jammu Tawi, and train no. 12687 Dehradun Express from Chennai to Dehradun.

The Navyug Express is the third train to which this facility has been extended in Southern Railway. The personnel are only required to carry the movement order or the leave certificate as the case may be. The facility is open for the personnel who are on leave, transit duty, transfer and so on. They can also avail this facility for journey by their families as per the LTC scheme. There are nearly eight lakh-odd central armed police force personnel in India.