First train carrying Kashmiris in Kolkata leaves for Udhampur

KOLKATA: They were stranded in Kolkata after the lockdown was announced. With resources drying up fast, these Kashmiris were facing trouble even to arrange two meals a day. On Saturday they finally boarded a train to Udhampur.
As the first train to Jammu & Kashmir carrying Kashmiris stranded in Kolkata left for Udhampur at 3pm, Noor Mohammad Khan (62 years) heaved a sigh of relief.He was going back home, finally. “We had lost all hopes till some locals extended their helping hands,” Mohammad said before he boarded the train.
Their plea for help reached Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad more than a month back. Azad asked party workers in Kolkata to reach out to stranded Kashmiris. “The way they have helped us cannot be forgotten. For more than a month they took care of us like their kids. They arranged for our food and other essentials. Words of gratitude fall short in praising them,” said Mohammad.
The passengers, who were intimated by the state government officials, a day back, were asked to remain present at the Netaji Indoor Stadium in the morning. Congress workers Kashif Reza and Mohammad Nadim accompanied them to Netaji Indoor Stadium where passengers were screened and were taken to Shalimar station.
“These two months seemed like there is no end. At one point I had lost all hope of going back. I still can’t believe I am going back home,” Mohammad said as the train left for Udhampur.