Relevance of much awaited hill rail project between Tanakpur and Bageshwar has become more relevant over the years given India’s growing socio-economic as well as strategic interests in this region that borders with Nepal and China, but ‘false’ assurances of putting the British era ambitious rail link on track by successive Governments have disappointed people of Uttarakhand particularly that of the Kumaon region repeatedly.
The important aspect of the long pending hill rail project is that it is as feasible to carry out this rail project as any other hill rail projects carried out in other high altitude areas of the Himalayan region, as the experts here say.
The British authorities had started survey of this rail project between Tanakpur and Bageshwar even before the World War I. Gl Shah, Professor of Geography, Kumaon University, Nainital, who claims to have spent three years in conducting feasibility study of this Tanakpur- Bageshwar railway line, told The Pioneer that there was no such problem on the said railway route that can be described as sensitive from geographical or natural disaster point of view.
Unlike some other routes like the Rishikesh-Srinagar road that remains closed about 160 days in a year due to landslides, this Tanakpur- Bageshwar stretch is technically strong enough to carry out major project like the rail project, he added.
This is about 137 km-long railway line out of which about 67 km long railway line will go parallel to the Mahakali river that marks the international border with Nepal, Shah further said.
But the matter of concern is that the project has not been taken up the way it should have been presented before the authorities concerned in view of its socio-economic and strategic importance. “I submitted my feasibility report on how the long pending Tanakpur-Bageshwar rail project can be given concrete shape to some politicians of Uttarakhand also. But they did nothing. It is quite disappointing how those persons who wish to do something for the society are ignored here,” he regretted.
It is true that over the years politicians from the Himalayan State, as the social commentators here believe, only use this British period pending rail link between Tanakpur and Bageshwar as an instrument to serve their political interests.
In due course of time these so called public representatives have established themselves in national scene, promising people to connect this hitherto neglected zone of the Himalayan region with modern rail network. However, they have done nothing except blaming rival party Governments for not carrying forward this project, they add.
The demand for bringing the rail network in this region again started gaining momentum after the Rishikesh-Karnprayag rail project. But the leaders of different political parties did little except giving assurances to the people.
It is believed had the Government been able to carry forward this project between Tanakpur and Bageshwar, it would have come in handy in strengthening India’s strategic interests in this Himalayan zone.