March 9, 2025 I Jammu – Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan chaired a high-level meeting in Jammu to review the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir, with a particular focus on the Jammu region. The meeting, held at the Jammu Convention Centre and lasting nearly three hours, addressed key issues including preparations for the Shri Amarnath Yatra, ongoing anti-terror operations, and the upcoming launch of a train service connecting Katra to the Kashmir Valley. Senior officials from paramilitary forces, intelligence agencies, Jammu and Kashmir Police, and civil administration, including Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo and Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat, attended the discussion.
A significant highlight was the announcement regarding the new train service. The train to Srinagar is set to initially operate from Katra, the base camp of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi shrine, with plans to shift its starting point to Jammu by August 2025, once platform expansions and renovation work at Jammu railway station are completed. The Chairman of the Railways Board and the Director General of the Railway Protection Force also visited Katra on the same day to assess arrangements for the launch, which is expected to be flagged off by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, though an exact date remains unconfirmed. The service will require passengers to change trains at Katra (and later Jammu) due to security protocols, with no direct trains from Delhi or other regions to Kashmir.
The Home Secretary’s review also covered infiltration attempts and strategies to eliminate terrorists in the Jammu region’s upper reaches, emphasising coordinated efforts between security forces and police. This meeting marked Govind Mohan’s second visit to Jammu and Kashmir within three months, underscoring the central government’s focus on stabilising the region’s security ahead of these significant developments.