BLESSING IN DISGUISE Banihal: The Indian Railways may be under fire for rushing through the high-profile tracks connecting Kashmir with the rest of the country without proper surveys, but the project has come as a blessing for the people here. Indeed, it has radically changed the lives of around 40,000 people along the 150km stretch between the Pir Panjal range and Reasi by constructing roads and building infrastructure for the first time since Independence. Pir Panjal is at a height of 13,500 feet. Northern Railways chief administrative officer R K Gupta said the railways have connected 60 hamlets in the area with the mainland by constructing around 260km of roads.