New Delhi
13 July 2006
The popular Thar Express linking Rajasthan in India with Sindh in
Pakistan has become the latest casualty of the sudden chill in relations between the two
South Asian neighbours.
Islamabad has shot down New Delhi's proposal to add more coaches to the Thar
Express in order to meet the overwhelming response from Pakistani nationals wanting to
travel to India. It has also also given a lukewarm response to the proposal to open the
Munabao--Khokrapar rail route for freight traffic.
Pakistan has also been reluctant to respond to New Delhi's proposals for opening
additional bus routes between Kargil and Skardu and between Jammu and Sialkot. It has
neither opened its consulate in Mumbai nor allowed India to open its consulate in
Karachi. Consular acess to Indian civilian prisoners and fishermen is pending too.
Railway Board Chairman JP Batra has said that an inter-ministerial group set up to
review the India-Pakistan railway links had discussed among other issues the
overcrowding of the Thar Express and how increasing the number of coaches can benefit
the passengers travelling by this train.
Mr SB Gandhi, Senior Deputy General Manager of North Western Railway, in turn, said
that 10,670 passengers have travelled by the Thar Express till July 7. The maximum
passenger load was recorded in June this year when on a single day, 1,024 Pakistani
nationals crossed the border into India.
The spokesman of the Ministry of External Affairs has regretted Pakistan's decision.
"Unfortunately," the spokesman said, "the Government of Pakistan has requested that
due to infrastructure constraints, they are unable to handle the growing number of
passengers at Zero Point station in Pakistan, and we should only run this train with 7
coaches."
"Naturally, this will limit the number of passengers that can be accommodated in this
train to 400 per trip, and therefore from July 21 onwards, the Thar Express will only have
seven coaches. It will not carry more than 400 passengers a week each way, and
naturally the issuance of tickets will also be restricted to this number," the spokesman
added.
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