Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Feb 26: Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu today kept provision of sufficient amount for updating survey on several new railway lines in Jammu and Kashmir including Chenab Valley, Kupwara and twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch while going ahead with surveys on linking strategically important Leh with train from two sides including Pathankot-Bilaspur-Manali and Srinagar-Kargil.
In his budget proposals for 2015-16 tabled in the Parliament today, he proposed an outlay of Rs 2 crores for updating survey between Baramulla and Kupwara. In the current financial year, the Railways had kept provision of Rs 50 crores, the total cost of the survey project.
Presently, the train is running between Banihal to Baramulla and the Centre has proposed to extend it to Kupwara, a border district in the Kashmir Valley.
Prabhu also kept an amount of Rs 5 crores for 2015-16 as against Rs 1 crore for current financial year of 2014-15 for updating survey on Jammu-Poonch railway line via Akhnoor and Rajouri. The proposed survey is expected to cost Rs 33.45 crores. In 2013-14, the Railways Ministry had kept Rs 12.04 crores for the survey but the then UPA Government had abandoned the project.
However, after BJP-led NDA Government was voted to power, it revived the project and the Railways Minister has kept handsome amount of Rs 5 crores for the survey.
According to budget proposals, Prabhu has kept budgetary provision of Rs 4.62 crores for further survey on Udhampur-Bhaderwah-Doda-Kishtwar railway line, which has to be completed at total cost of Rs 33.60 crores. Outlay for the survey project in the current fiscal year was Rs 4 crores.
There has been long pending demand of the people of Chenab Valley to link Bhaderwah-Doda-Kishtwar with rest of the country by rail.
For strategically important Ladakh, the Railways Minister has proposed two alternate rail links-one via Himachal Pradesh and another through Srinagar and kept total amount of Rs 56.02 crores for Reconnaissance Engineering-cum-Traffic Survey on both the lines.
One of the line proposed to Leh is from Pathankot to Leh via Bilaspur and Manali in Himachal Pradesh (400 kilometers) while second proposed line is from Srinagar to Leh via Kargil (430 kilometers). Prabhu has kept a provision of Rs 21.58 crores for 2014-15 for RET survey of Pathankot-Leh railway line and Rs 34.44 crores for Srinagar-Leh line.
The railway lines to Leh have been necessitated as China has constructed rail lines and roads in its areas along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) bordering Leh.
The Railways Minister has also ordered similar survey on 45 kilometers railway line from Anantnag to Pahalgam via Tral.
Apart from surveys, Suresh Prabhu proposed proliferation of fire and smoke detection system in the coaches of New Delhi-Jammu Tawi Rajdhani. He said 10 MWp distributed capacity mainly at rooftop installed and 9.45 MWp was planned at 200 railway stations, 2000 LC gates and office buildings including Katra railway station. He added that during 2014-15, 493 kilometers track was electrified, which included Udhampur-Katra.
The Railways Minister proposed 21.7 kilometers Bharoli-Jammu Tawi railway track at the cost of Rs 19.15 lakh. Rs 3.02 lakh have been kept for 2015-16.
Prabhu said there would be faster rail network growth in Jammu and Kashmir.
“Indian Railways is committed for faster rail network in Jammu and Kashmir. The rail connectivity between Jammu region and the Kashmir valley through the Banihal tunnel provides all-weather connectivity with the rest of the country,” he said.
Prabhu said the commissioning of Udhampur-Katra was “like a dream come true for millions of pilgrims”.
He proposed Rs 39,000 crores for national projects in Jammu and Kashmir and North Eastern States.
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