MATHURA FOLKS WANT GATIMAN EXPRESS TO HALT

 Mathura

 

Residents of Mathura-Vrindavan have demanded compulsory halt of the proposed Gatiman Express which will cover the Delhi-Agra distance in 105 minutes.

 

The new semi-bullet train, a show piece of the Modi government is set to begin its run in November. Two trials have already been conducted.

 

Dr RK Chaturvedi, president of the Jan Sanskratik Manch told TOI, "this new train must stop in Mathura to enable pilgrims coming to Sri Krishna land to travel in comfort and save time. All important trains have halts in Mathura."

 

Ex-chairman of the Mathura municipality Veerendra Kumar Agarwal said "we will ask our MP Hema Malini ji to talk to the railway minister regarding this. The new train must stop for a minute in Mathura so that thousands of pilgrims can take advantage of the facility."

 

Author and cultural activist Dr Ashok Bansal told TOI, "a five minute delay will not bring the heavens down. If the new train reaches Agra in 110 or 115 minutes what difference would that make. But denying Mathura its right is not acceptable to us. The new train should be a success. The influx of religious tourists to the twin cities has increased manifold in recent years, and most are affluent class pilgrims. A significant number now is of those who have bought apartments in Braj Bhoomi. They need to frequently commute between Mathura and Delhi, many in fact have to catch flights from the Indira Gandhi airport."

 

A halt in Mathura will help reduce air pollution in the area which is highly eco-sensitive due to the Mathura refinery. "If a fast train becomes available, hundreds of vehicles polluting the area will become redundant. People would love to use the train for the speed with comfort," says Vrindavan activist Jagan Nath Poddar.

 

The authorities must realise that Vrindavan and Mathura draw a significant number of foreign visitors and NRIs who have to catch international flights in the night. "So if a fast train is made available in the evening, it would be a great boon for such people," says a hotelier Surendra Sharma.