Chief Minister Harish Rawat dubbed the Rail Budget-2015 as disappointing for Uttarakhand. It has trampled on "our expectations", he said. He said he would appeal to Railway Minster Suresh Prabhu to re-consider the State's demands during the debate on the Budget to be held in the coming days.
Rawat said, "Rail network expansion in Uttarakhand is vital not only for the convenience of tourists and pilgrims but also in the national interest from the strategic point of view. Being a special category State, Uttarakhand is incapable of paying its share of expenditure on railway projects and the financial standards should be relaxed for such strategically important projects.
"We are developing Gairsain as the summer Capital of Uttarakhand. Approval had been granted in the previous rail budget to the Ramnagar-Chaukhutia rail route and since Gairsain is close to Chaukhutia, there is need for Ramnagar to Gairsainrail link. This would also be important from the strategic point of view. Similarly, land transfer for the Rishikesh-Karnprayag rail link is in its final stage," he said.
The CM also stressed on timely execution of the Tanakpur-Bageshwar rail link, Kichha-Khatima rail line, Deoband-Roorkee rail line and construction of a new Saharanpur-Vikasnagar-Dehradun rail route. The laying of the Haridwar-Kotdwar-Ramnagar direct link had been announced in the 2013-14 Rail Budget. This route will prove to be a boon for the State. The Railways had in the past completed survey on the Kashipur-Najibabad via Dhampur rail line and construction of this line will enable facilitation of the link route benefitting residents of a large region. There is need for strengthening shuttle service from Dehradun to Roorkee via Rishikesh-Haridwar, Kathgodam to lalkuan/Pantnagar/Rudrapur/Kashipur/Ramnagar/Bazpur.
He further said that as Uttarakhand's neighbouring States are actively engaged in mining he has instructed the forest development corporation (FDC) to do the same in the State. He further said that the State would make separate policy if FDC fails to exploit our resource (mining).
Besides, he also instructed the power department to increase power generation and firm up a policy on the rates at which they would purchase electricity from gas-based power plants in the next two to three days. He also instructed the UPCl to curtail line loss because it is making dent into public exchequer.
The UREDA officials have been asked to frame policy on increasing power generation in the State through their resources.