This Article is From Mar 14, 2017

Help Arrives For Passengers Stranded In Jammu, But At A Price

The operation for facilitating the return of stranded people is to begin on Tuesday.

Srinagar: Thousands of passengers are stranded in Jammu as the Jammu-Srinagar national highway continues to remain closed for the seventh straight day. 

With the no other alternative in sight, the state government has planned to airlift them to Srinagar by air force planes. However, the special arrangement will come at a price. 

A passenger will need to pay Rs 75 for a bus ride from Jammu to Uhampur and Rs 1,500 for onward journey to Srinagar on the Air Force plane.

"Government has decided to airlift all those people who are stranded in Jammu. The state road transport corporation will provide transport facility to them from Jammu to Udhampur, thereafter they will go in Air Force planes", said G A Sofi, MD State Road Transport Corporation.

Passengers, however, are unhappy with the government's decision to charge money for transportation. Many of them have run out of the little money they had during their stay in Jammu.    

"We have our families and little children with us. Living in Jammu is very expensive. We have no money left with us," said Irshad Ahmed , a stranded passenger.

The operation for facilitating the return of stranded people is to begin on Tuesday but it remained unclear how many people can afford to be airlifted.
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