Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, June 27: In a significant strategic decision aimed at connecting mountainous Ladakh region, having un-demarcated Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China, Railways Minister Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu today laid foundation stone of `Final Location Survey’ for Leh-Bilaspur railway line via Manali.
Prabhu laid the foundation stone of `Final Location Survey’, which will be done at the cost of Rs 157 crores, in Leh town today, adjacent to the Deputy Commissioner’s Office.
While entire Ladakh region has no rail network, it also remains cut off with rest of the world by road for about six months during winter due to closure of Srinagar-Leh National Highway not only causing enormous problems to people of the region but also affecting the troops deployed along LAC with China in Leh and LoC with Pakistan in Leh and Kargil.
Official sources told the Excelsior that apart from the people’s problems, the strategic reasons were high in the minds of Central Government for linking Leh with railway line through Bilaspur in Himachal Pradesh via Manali.
The proposed Bilaspur-Leh railway line via Manali will connect Mandi, Kullu, Manali, Keylong and other important towns of Himachal Pradesh and Leh district of Ladakh region, sources said, adding the Centre has the proposal to further connect Bilaspur rail line to Bhanupali between Anandpur Sahib and Nangal Dam.
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The proposed rail alignment will pass through the Shivalik, Great Himalayan and Zanskar Ranges, areas with wide variation in height (600 meters to 5300 meters above Mean Sea Level) and Seismic zone IV and V.
“This will necessitate building of large number of tunnels, deep viaducts and bridges. The work of Final Location Survey has been entrusted by Ministry of Railways to RITES Ltd and is planned to be completed by March 2019 with an approximate cost of Rs 157 crores,” sources said.
Addressing the gathering in Leh, Prabhu said the Centre Government has planned to link Leh with railway line connectivity, which would help the people visit any part of the country throughout the year.
He said with the motto of `One Nation, Strong Nation’, the Narendra Modi Government is committed to link every nook and corner of the country with rail and bring people more close to each other.
“The Indian Railways endeavours to extend the socio-economic benefits of rail transportation to other remote areas and challenging terrains of the hilly States (HP & J&K) where development is scarce. Amongst the various socially desirable projects in the country, Bilaspur-Mandi-Leh Rail Line (route length 498 kilometers) constitutes great significance. The project is of both strategic and economic, development and tourism importance, with its unique distinction being the highest railway track in the world,” Prabhu said.
“Leh is the most important town in Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir having approximately 1.5 lakh population. It has a high footfall of Indian and foreign tourists each year. Leh is the second largest district in the country with elaborate Army establishments and is the Headquarter of 14 Corps. The region being a cold desert, the temperature during the winter months (October-March) plummets down to well below freezing point. The road connectivity to this area gets cut off from other parts of country due to heavy snowfall, thus necessitating all weather rail connectivity,” sources said.
“The construction of railway line in such difficult and treacherous terrain would be a daunting challenge for Indian Railways and would be an unmatched marvel globally once completed,” they added.
Addressing the function, Minister for Ladakh Affairs Chering Dorjay said the Bilaspur-Manali-Leh railway line project will give new boost to the tourism sector in Leh as the line will pass through high terrain. He added that China brought train to Lhasa years ago and it was considered a challenging although it was not so as compared to Bilaspur-Manali-Leh being planned due to the Himalayan geographical terrain.
BJP MP from Ladakh Thupstan Chhewang said that the project should have been taken up long ago in view of Ladakh’s strategic importance. Talking about the negligence of Ladakh by successive Governments in terms of connectivity, he said the project shouldn’t remain on paper but get implemented as per deadlines.
CLP Leader and Leh MLA Nawang Rigzin Jora termed it a watershed project for Ladakh and a dream coming true. Jora said that with the coming up of Zojila tunnel and the Bilaspur-Manali-Leh railways, Ladakh would be part of the globe. He also highlighted the exceptional cordial relation between the Indian army and the local inhabitants over the decades. Jora added that with China’s `One Belt, One Road’ project, Ladakh’s strategic importance cannot be ignored.
Hill Development Council CEC Dr Sonam Dawa expressed his gratitude to the Railway Ministry for translating the dream of Bilaspur-Manali-Leh railway into action by laying the foundation stone. He also requested the Railway Minister to consider laying an internal railway track within Leh for benefit of local people. Earlier, General Manager, Northern Railways, RK Kushareshtha welcomed the dignitaries and presented survey plans of the Bilaspur-Manali-Leh.
Deputy Commissioner Leh Prasanna Ramaswamy was also present on the occasion.
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