Aboard first Srinagar-Jammu train: Soldier expecting child, family that skipped the road, Pg1

Key Highlights:

• The first Vande Bharat train connecting Srinagar to Jammu began operations.
• The train reduces travel time between Srinagar and Jammu to less than five hours.
• A six-year-old boy, Zulqarnain Ali, drowned in the Shingo River near the Line of Control (LoC) in Kargil.
• Zulqarnain's body was recovered across the border in Baltistan after 40 days.
• Locals are requesting an exchange point at Hundurman to return bodies swept across the border.

Detailed Insights:

• The Srinagar-Jammu railway line has been a long-awaited project due to frequent landslides and adverse weather conditions that disrupt road connectivity.
• While the Srinagar-Katra line has been operational since June 2025, the new Vande Bharat service provides a direct connection to Jammu, resolving logistical challenges for passengers.
• The Shingo and Suru rivers in Kargil are fast-flowing, especially during summer, leading to frequent incidents of bodies being swept across the LoC into Pakistan.
• There is no formal mechanism to return bodies of accident victims found across the border, causing distress for families in Kargil.
• Hundurman and Gangani were once a single village before the 1971 war, and many residents still have relatives across the LoC.
• The Kargil Democratic Alliance is urging the Indian and Pakistani governments to establish a designated exchange point for the dignified return of bodies.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Line of Control (LoC): The boundary line that separates Indian-administered Kashmir from Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
• Vande Bharat Express: A series of semi-high-speed, electric multiple unit trains operated by Indian Railways.
• Kargil Democratic Alliance: A political alliance in Kargil advocating for various local issues, including cross-border humanitarian concerns.