More trains, flights as tourists in Valley seek to return home

Civil aviation minister asks airlines to maintain regular fares for outbound flights

- DHRUVAKSH SAHA, DEEPAK PATEL & SANJEEB MUKHERJEE

Srimanta Dey sat quietly, listening to the hush that now hangs over the Kashmir Valley — a silence so complete it feels deliberate. An ex-government official, Dey had arrived with a group of 30, seeking relief from the sweltering plains back home. But what was meant to be a peaceful escape to the cool meadows of Pahalgam has now turned into a tense wait to leave.

"We had just left the meadows a few hours back and returned to the city centre when we learnt about the terrorist attack in Pahalgam," Dey recounted over the phone from the town. The streets, he said, are now deserted. Hotels in and around the town's central market are packed with anxious tourists, all desperate for a way out.

On Tuesday afternoon, gunmen opened fire in Pahalgam. Twenty-six people were killed — most of them tourists — in what has become the deadliest attack in the region's tourism hotspot. Shock has settled over the Valley, and with it, the instinct to flee.

"Someone in the security establishment informed us that proper conveyance and escort will be provided in a day or two for us to return home," Dey added, hinting that their itinerary — including a planned visit to Vaishno Devi in the Jammu region — might be cut short.

As tourists scramble to find a way out of Jammu & Kashmir, especially from Pahalgam, the government has begun coordinating a multi-pronged evacuation effort, moving swiftly to provide passage by train, by road, and by air.

More trains, diverted roads

In the wake of the attack, Indian Railways announced a special reserved train for tourists. The train departed from Katra on Wednesday night and is scheduled to reach Delhi by Thursday morning.