While at Gairsain, the hill town in Chamoli district, apparently projected by the Harish Rawat Government as the summer capital of the State, the Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu made a slew of important announcements aside from laying foundation stones of some projects that are expected to better rail connectivity in the Himalayan State. Seeking to strike a chord with the people, he said that the Char Dham Yatra routes will be connected through railway tracks following a survey to be conducted soon. He also laid foundation stone of several railway projects worth Rs 531.16 crore while assuring that works on the much-awaited Rishikesh-Karnprayag railway line would start next month. Hitting out at the UPA government, Prabhu said that they had done nothing to improve the railway connectivity in Uttarkahand. “But we are committed to taking things far,” he said. He further said that Tanakpur-Bageshwar railway survey would be conducted soon. “We have earmarked Rs 458 crore for the purpose,” he added.
The union minister inaugurated five base PP shelters for passengers and coach indication boards on all three platforms at Kathgodam railway station, private freight terminal at Kashipur railway station, new three-line station on Hempur Ismail, one PP shelter and coach indicator board on all the three platforms at Haldwani railway station, passengers waiting room and coach indicator board at the Rudrapur city railway station along with one PP shelter for passengers and coach indicator boards on all four platforms of the lalkuan railway station.