Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu will be credited with the greatest decision ever taken by any Railways Minister of India that is most crucial to the security of our nation and the development of vital border district of Ladakh. The laying of the foundation for the Final Location Survey of the project of railway line to Leh from Bilaspur via Manali, a total length of 498 kilometers across the mountainous States of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir over an average height of 600 meters to 5300 meters above sea level at a cost of 157 crore rupees is of immense strategic importance. The fact is that this project should have been undertaken soon after China connected Tibet with Beijing through a railway over the plateau of Tibet.
Ladakh is the second largest district in India in terms of area. It is a desert plateau located at a height of 11,000 feet above sea level. Owing to its geographical location and cold region, it remains cut off from the rest of the country and the world for six months of winter when there is heavy snow on the ground. However, during summer, it is a choice tourist destination for Indian and foreign tourists. Ladakh region offers the great cultural entertainment as people have maintained the Buddhist traditions going back to more than two thousand years. However, the strategic impotence of Ladakh to the security of the country is of utmost concern for the Government. Borders of China and Pakistan meet here. Bringing railway to Leh means immensely improving our border security arrangement because now supply of civilian and military equipment will be easy, rapid and of much less cost. The railway project will provide employment to thousands of youth of the region and that will bring about sea change in the life style of the people. It is also possible that in Phase II, rail connectivity could be extended to Nobra valley also where the borders of two Asian giants meet and respective security forces sometimes exchange sweets as goodwill measure.
Exposing Ladakh to the rest of the world round the year will mean that there will be more tourist footfall particularly from foreign countries where tourists have developed fancy for visiting the ‘Roof of the World” as the British historians called it. Though tunneling of Zoji La and Gagangir along Srinagar – Leh road is also a vital project taken in hand by the government, yet the railway line passing through Mandi, Kullu, Manali, Keylong and other important towns of Himachal Pradesh and Leh district of Ladakh region is bound to change the economy of the people. We understand that the Centre has the proposal to further connect Bilaspur rail line to Bhanupali between Anandpur Sahib and Nangal Dam.
In final analysis, we say kudos to the Railways Minister for taking exceptional interest in pushing the matter of rail connectivity of Ladakh with the rest of the country. It is a historic decision and should greatly impact the security, economy, society and politics of the vast Shivalik – Himalayan mountainous region.
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