Northern Railways has suspended its operations in the Kashmir Valley for an indefinite period, following massive damage caused to trains and infrastructure and fear of violence among non-local employees.
Officials told The Hindu that the decision was taken after the employees conveyed difficulty in operating services. “Life has come to a grinding halt in Kashmir and nothing is moving. Our property has been burnt and the employees are fear-struck.” The Railwayshas 125 non-local employees.
The authorities have granted special leave for them to go to their home towns. They left the valley in buses with security personnel and reached Jammu on Wednesday.
They were facing shortage of basic amenities besides “severe threat to our lives.”