Title - Locals out for free joyride add to rush on Banihal train Police to help Rail authorities regulate in

Jammu:  Waking up to the impending disaster, the state police in collaboration with the Railway authorities has decided to regulate the heavy rush of passengers on the Banihal-Qazigund train.Banihal in Ramban district of the Jammu region and Qazigund in Anantnag district of the Kashmir region are divided by the Pir Panjal range. Both towns are connected by an 11-km-long rail tunnel which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi on June 26.Since then, the train has been witnessing a huge rush of passengers, with people risking their lives and travelling atop the train without tickets to enjoy a “joyride”.“The IGPs of the Jammu and Kashmir regions --- Rajesh Kumar and Abdul Gani Mir --- have written to the IGP, Railways, to look into the issue as this disturbing trend (of travelling atop the eight-coach train that passes through the 11-km-long tunnel) may cause fatal casualties anytime,” said a top police source.The IGP, Railways, and the Railway authorities have been asked to regulate the heavy rush of passengers on the Banihal and Qazigund railway stations, the police source said.The source also informed that the IGP, Railways, had been asked to evolve a foolproof mechanism to ensure that no passenger travelled atop the train and without a ticket.A picture of passengers, mostly locals, travelling atop the train has gone viral on social networking site Facebook, attracting sharp comments from users.

“The Railway Police has been asked to deploy additional staff at both stations to check the trend as it may cause a mishap anytime,” said the source.

Part of the Kashmir rail project, the all-weather rail link has reduced the surface distance between the two towns by 18 km.

Built at a cost of Rs 1,300 crore, the 11-km tunnel is the longest rail tunnel in the country and the second longest in Asia.