
1st passenger train to Srinagar on Saturday
"No quarters, peak insurgency, Kargil War - it was a roller coaster," she says of life in a CRPF camp in
Srinagar
with a two-year-old son and a railway officer husband handling a project as fraught with danger as it was technically daunting.
"On a shopping trip to Lal Chowk in 1998, we narrowly escaped a bomb blast.
The USBRL shaped us as much as we shaped it."
Neetu's story is intertwined with the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) that PM Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate Friday, marking the physical bridging of what was once considered a geographical implausibility: seamless rail connectivity from Kashmir to Kanyakumari.
"Wives of all railway personnel associated with USBRL would have similar stories to tell," says Neetu, whose husband Suresh Kumar Sapra was then an executive engineer with Northern Railway.
Sapra was posted in
Udhampur
when former PM H D Deve Gowda laid USBRL's foundation stone in Udhampur in early 1997. Many thought the task of carving a route through the undulating, terrorist-infested terrain was a fanciful idea.
By April that year, India had a new PM in I K Gujral, and a second foundation ceremony was soon planned in Srinagar for the Qazigund-Baramulla section.
Sapra recalls receiving an official note from his senior colleague Sandeep Gupta - the executive engineer assigned to lead the 13-strong technical team - to proceed to Srinagar for the July 12, 1997, event.
With the odds as steep as the Pir Panjal, the team got cracking. "Srinagar was synonymous with militancy. Nobody was prepared," Gupta, who retired as USBRL's chief administrative officer in Feb this year, writes in the 2009 TOI coffee table book, 'Linking Paradise: A Northern Railway Project'.
"We had no choice but to dive in. This was bigger than us," he writes in the book, remembering how his team got by erratic phone and electricity connections and an inadequate number of vehicles.
Sapra's trip to Srinagar from Udhampur to lay the ground for the foundation ceremony prepared him for what lay ahead.
"Just 13km beyond Udhampur, we dodged the possibility of death by a few metres as a landslide occurred in front of our eyes. The national highway was blocked for 48 hours." A week later, Gupta joined them, reaching Srinagar on a rickety van. A team from CRPF's 69th battalion was then occupying the railway-owned holiday home in Srinagar's Tulsi Bagh, leaving Gupta's team to cram into four dingy rooms within the complex.
"We had only candles for light and hauled water in buckets from CRPF tankers," says Sapra, currently principal executive director in the Research Design and Standards Organisation in Lucknow.
Living conditions and logistics remained a challenge throughout. The state power department refused to restore electricity to the railway facility, citing unpaid bills throughout a decade of unrest. It took several meetings with the then divisional commissioner of Kashmir, SL Bhat, for power supply to be restored.
Mudassara, the PA to DoT's then general manager, intervened to provide landlines.
On Nov 12, 1997, a railway survey team comprising two officers, three junior engineers and six helpers reached Nowgam (later named Srinagar railway station) on a cloudy, uneasy morning. Locals mistook them for a police raid party, causing an already tense situation to almost spiral out of control.
"I had butterflies in my stomach due to sheer anxiety and fear," Gupta recalls in his essay.
Every day, a road-opening party would set out ahead of the railway survey team to detect and defuse potential mines. After spending weeks studying topography sheets and working out other details, Gupta and Sapra drove the first two wooden pegs into the ground to mark the project's first alignment.
"It felt like we had planted a dream," recalls Sapra.
As winter took hold, the survey covered Pampore and Kakapora. The first snowfall of 1997 came on Nov 27.
Work had to be halted by Dec 15. The team would return next April to resume work.
"On our off days, we hunted for vegetarian food in Srinagar. However, the CRPF wasn't happy about our venturing out of the railways complex," reminisces Gupta.
While surveying Anantnag, the team would run into surrendered militants still carrying AK-47s. "They looked intimidating, but didn't do us harm; in fact, they seemed encouraging," says Gupta.
By Oct 31, 1998, the Qazigund-Baramulla survey report was ready. The railway team didn't just beat the odds; they completed the task ahead of schedule.
After the Baramulla-Qazigund section, Sapra and his colleagues were asked to survey the proposed Katra-Qazigund stretch. That was in 2001. The then rail minister Nitish Kumar laid the foundation for this portion two years later.
"During the survey, we closely observed how difficult life was for people of the Valley.
Pregnant women, critically ill patients and elderly people would be brought down from hilly terrain on makeshift palanquins as there were no roads. Mules and horses were the only modes of transport to ferry goods," recalls Sapra.
Just when things seemed to be going well, tragedy struck on June 25, 2004, when IRCON engineer R N Pundhir and his brother were kidnapped and killed by terrorists at Sugan in Shopian. "It was a jolt.
Work paused. But buoyed by local sympathy and police support, the railway men restarted with the same zeal," writes Bhanu Prakash, the then deputy chief engineer of USBRL, in his memoir.
The first trial run in Oct 2008, from Budgam to Kakapora, was a milestone in more ways than one. A Hindu priest, a Muslim cleric and a Sikh granthi presided over prayers before the train rolled in at 30kmph. "Locals lined the tracks and children skipped school to see the trial run.
Even the cattle seemed puzzled!" recounts Bhanu.
By the time the Qazigund-Baramulla section was commissioned in 2009, tracks were ready for trains to run at speeds of up to 100kmph.
Built at a cost of around Rs 44,000 crore, including a parallel highway, the 272km rail route has 36 tunnels and 943 bridges, including the world's highest, the Chenab Bridge.
The rail route promises all-weather connectivity, slashing the 800km Delhi-Srinagar journey to under 13 hours.
This isn't just a story of steel tracks, concrete arches and staggering statistics. USBRL is an odyssey of workers and officials fighting the elements, braving the threat of guns, and enduring separation from their families to finally "connect" Kashmir to the rest of India.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Hindustan Times
6 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Delhi CM pitches for mini secretariats in all districts
Chief minister Rekha Gupta on Tuesday pitched for a 'mini secretariat' in every district of Delhi, saying it would spare residents the hassle of shuttling between scattered government offices. At a meeting with the Capital's 11 district magistrates, she also reemphasised her plan for a gaushala in each district, both proposals first announced in her budget speech in March. Delhi CM Rekha Gupta and minister Ashish Sood take part in the 'Tricolour Cyclathon' on Tuesday. (X-Rekha Gupta) 'Resolving the problems of Delhi's people is a priority,' Gupta said, adding that the mini secretariats would make public services accessible under one roof. Earlier in the day, she directed officials to ensure smooth distribution of Tricolours for the Har Ghar Tiranga campaign ahead of Independence Day, and to avoid 'any negligence in public work.' The meeting reviewed the single-window complaint system, weekly public hearings, and the Chief Minister's complaint box. Gupta said these must improve continuously so that 'the general public feels assured that the Delhi government is sincerely and effectively resolving their issues.' Officials said she lauded the DMs' role during the Kanwar Yatra and instructed them to clear pending payments to Kanwar committees within three months. Some DMs flagged staff shortages and other bottlenecks, to which she assured swift redress. She also said Delhi Development Authority and Jal Board officials would now join public hearing meetings. Gupta also told DMs to identify land for gaushalas and to conduct regular field visits with subordinates -- not only to grasp ground realities, she said, but also to strengthen public trust in the administration. Earlier in the day, the CM led a flurry of patriotic events. She flagged off a 'Tiranga Cyclothon for Girls' from the Delhi Legislative Assembly, telling participants, 'When our daughters are given the wings to realise their dreams, the Tricolour will soar even higher.' Undeterred by light rain, the girls completed the ride to Rajghat. The second Tiranga Yatra, organised by the NDMC in Connaught Place, saw Gupta call for both patriotism and cleanliness, urging citizens to keep the city worthy of the flag they fly.


Time of India
9 hours ago
- Time of India
Govt to build a gaushala in each district
New Delhi: Delhi govt will build a mini secretariat in each district to promote a decentralised form of governance, CM Rekha Gupta announced Tuesday. She also instructed all DMs to identify suitable land for setting up gaushalas in all districts. "Resolving the problems of Delhi's people is a priority; the mini secretariats will ensure people don't have to visit isolated govt offices repeatedly," CM said. She added that DDA and DJB officials will participate in public hearing meetings. Gupta said all DMs should conduct field visits with their subordinate officers to gain firsthand knowledge of problems and help build public trust in govt. You Can Also Check: Delhi AQI | Weather in Delhi | Bank Holidays in Delhi | Public Holidays in Delhi | Gold Rates Today in Delhi | Silver Rates Today in Delhi CMO directed that outstanding payments to the Kanwar committees be settled within three months. Gupta said issues like staff shortages would be addressed at the earliest. Gupta also directed that proper arrangements be made for distributing the tricolour under the 'Har Ghar Tiranga' campaign for Independence Day. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.


NDTV
10 hours ago
- NDTV
"Bringing Governance Closer To People": Chief Minister Rekha Gupta Unveils Plan For Mini Secretariats Across Delhi
New Delhi: "Bringing governance closer to people"- that's how Chief Minister Rekha Gupta summed up her latest push to make government services more accessible. On Tuesday, she announced that every district in Delhi will soon have its own mini secretariat. Delhi's 11 revenue districts will each get a mini secretariat aimed at resolving citizens' issues locally instead of forcing them to visit multiple government offices across the city. "Resolving the problems of Delhi's people is a priority; therefore, the govt wants to establish a mini secretariat in every district so that people do not have to visit isolated government offices repeatedly," Ms Gupta said after chairing a high-level meeting. Field Visits to Build Trust The Chief Minister urged district magistrates (DMs) to conduct regular field visits. "This serves two purposes: firstly, they gain firsthand knowledge of problems and their solutions; secondly, it helps build public trust in the govt," she said. She also called for smooth distribution of Tricolours under the 'Har Ghar Tiranga' campaign ahead of Independence Day. "All DMs should ensure that the distribution of the Tricolour from district offices is carried out smoothly and successfully," Ms Gupta said. Praise and New Measures Ms Gupta praised the role of DMs during the Kanwar Yatra and directed that pending payments to Kanwar committees be cleared within three months. Addressing concerns about staff shortages raised by DMs, she assured that the issues would be resolved at the earliest. To make public grievance redressal more effective, officials from the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and Delhi Jal Board will now participate in district-level public hearings. The CMO confirmed that work on setting up mini secretariats has already begun.