Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat called on Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu in New Delhi on Monday and sought inclusion of projects linked to Uttarakhand’s development in the coming rail budget. Rawat stressed on the need for speedy expansion of the railway services in Uttarakhand for which the State Government had also submitted proposals in the past to the Ministry.
“Rail network expansion in Uttarakhand is vital not only for the convenience of tourists and pilgrims but also in 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. The Ministry does face various resource constraints in linking the nation’s remote areas by rail but Uttarakhand is a very important state from the strategic, tourism and pilgrimage points of view.”
“We have sent proposals to the ministry on which proactive action is necessary in the interests of the State. 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 Gairsain rail link”.
“This will also be important from the strategic point of view. Similarly, land transfer for the Rishikesh-Karnprayag rail link is in its final stage. There is need for fixing the deadline for completion of this strategically important project,” stressed Rawat. 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.
He said, “Presently, all trains to Dehradun have to take a circuitous route through Saharanpur and via Roorkee-laksar-Haridwar. Survey for the Saharanpur-Dehradun route has been completed and the construction of this new route through Herbertpur (Vikasnagar) to Dehradun will prove greatly beneficial for residents of the Yamuna valley and tribal areas of Chakrata-Tyuni apart from tourists. This will also help control crowding on the Haridwar 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 also need for considering the long pending demand for a direct train from Delhi to Ramnagar.”
Citing the problems being faced in Uttarakhand, Rawat said that due to pressure on the road network, the residents and businessmen of various cities in Uttarakhand face inconvenience in reaching nearby towns. There is need for strengthening shuttle service from Dehradun to Roorkee via Rishikesh-Haridwar, Kathgodam tolalkuan/Pantnagar/Rudrapur/Kashipur/Ramnagar/Bazpur. The CM said that his talk with the Union Railway minister had been proactive with Prabhu assuring all possible efforts in the interests of nation and State.