Munabao (Rajasthan)
31 January 2006
Elaborate arrangements have been made at the Munabao
railway station for receiving the first batch of passengers from Pakistan in 41 years. A
veritable oasis in the Thar Desert, Munabao has all the amenities befitting an
international terminus.
Attention has been paid to the last detail as would become evident from the fact that for
the benefit of the Pakistani guests, the North Western Railway has made arrangements
for fetching cool drinking water from Gadra Road, which is situated at a distance of 40
kilometres from Munabao.
The station will have 24 counters for immigration checks and another 20 for customs
checks. A train consisting of 10 coaches can be received from either side and 650 to 700
passengers can be accommodated at any given time. In sharp contrast, the "Zero Point"
station built on the Pakistani resembles a tin shed.
The renovated Munabao railway station also has a first to its credit. "Unlike the existing
system at Atari, the two trains leaving from Khokrapar in Pakistan and Jodhpur can be
dealt simultaneously," says Mr SB Gandhi, Chief Public Relations Officer of North
Western Railway.
"[At Munabao, it] is possible to clear the passengers after immigration and customs
check within three to four hours. Whereas at Atari, the trains have to be received one
after the other on the same platform [and] five to six hours is needed for customs and
immigration clearance of the passengers," he explains.
Officials say that when the train linking Sindh province in Pakistan with Rajasthan finally
resumes its journey later this month, it will travel over a railway line that was
commissioned as early as 1887. During the era of the princely state of Jodhpur, people
could travel from Karachi and Amarkot in Pakistan to Jodhpur.
Customs officials say an Indian-origin passenger over 10 years old will be entitled for
free allowance up to a value of Rs 6,000; those below 10 years old will be entitled for a
value of up to Rs 1,500. Similarly, for passengers of Pakistan origin with a Pakistani
passport, the allowance shall be of a value not more than Rs 6,000.
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