Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat has asked Union Railway Minister Sadanand Gowda to expand rail services in Uttarakhand as it is an important State from strategic and tourism points of view.
The Chief Minister apprised the Railway Minister that Gairsain is being developed as the State's summer Capital. A rail track between Ramnagar and Chaukhutia was approved in the last budget. This was important as it made Gairsain more accessible. It would also serve strategic purposes.
In an extensive proposal sent in this regard to the Union Minister, the Chief Minister has said that the issue is also of national importance. He has sought initiation of projects approved in the last Rail Budget and also to clear new proposals.
He said that Uttarakhand is an international pilgrimage and tourism destination. Tourists and pilgrims from India and abroad, amounting to twice the state's population, visit Uttarakhand. And, strategically, it borders China and Nepal. China had extended its rail, road and air network right up to the border. As such, expansion of rail project in Uttarakhand has become an urgent need.
land acquisition is in the last stages for the Rishikesh-Karnaprayag rail track. The Tanakpur-Bageshwar railway line had been approved under the National Plan. He said that after the State Government's payment of its share of land acquisition cost for the Kiccha-Khatima line (57.7 km), the Union Government needed to act speedily to implement the project. He particularly urged quick action with regard to the development of the Roorkee-Muzzafarnagar rail link.
Underlining the significance of a new Saharanpur-Dehradun rail line, he pointed out that, presently, all trains from Dehradun had to take a circuitous route to Saharanpur via Haridwar-laksar-Roorkee. The survey on the Saharanpur-Dehradun route had been completed. This would pass through Herbertpur (Vikasnagar) and provide services to the people of the Yamuna Valley, tribals of Chakrata-Tyuni, as well as the tourists. It would relieve pressure on the Haridwar route.
last year's budget had approved a new rail track between Dehradun and Rishikesh, the survey for which had been completed. This required immediate implementation. Similarly, the twin-tracking of the laksar-Roorkee-Haridwar rail line was extremely important, but remained pending. Because of this, the necessary electrification of the track was also hanging fire. The single track caused delay in running of trains.
The Chief Minister also reminded the Railway Minister that an announcement had been made in the previous Railway Budget on the Haridwar-Kotdwar-Ramnagar direct link. The Railways had also completed the survey on the Kashipur-Najibabad via Dhampur rail line. In the public's interests it was necessary to clear this project so that the line could be used to connect Tanakpur with Dehradun. Along with this, announcements had also been made on conducting surveys on the Rishikesh-Doiwala direct link, and Haldwani-Chorgaliya, Haldwani-Reetha Sahib, Piran Kaliyar-Roorkee/Haridwar, Dehradun-Purola (along the Yamuna), Dehradun-Kalsi and Tanakpur-Jauljivi railway lines, which ought to be implemented.
The Chief Minister disclosed that it took people two days to get from Kumaon Division's Dharchula to Dehradun, and Garhwal Division's Chamoli-Uttarkashi to Pithoragarh-Dharchula. As such, a rail connection between Kathgodam and Tanakpur, as well as Ramnagar via Kotdwar and Dehradun, was most necessary. For this, the Railway Ministry had approved the conversion of the metre gauge track to broad gauge on the lalkuan-Melani-Tanakpur-Pilibhit-Bhojipura-Bareilly section (101.79 km). The budget for this needed to be approved. It was the only link to the strategically important Bageshwar. A new rail line had been demanded for a very long time between Tanakpur and the famous pilgrimage site, Purnagiri, a 15-20 km stretch.
The Chief Minister also sought non-stop express trains from Dehradun and Kathgodam/Ramnagar to New Delhi, as well as a direct train from Ramnagar to New Delhi.
Rawat recalled that a combined road show had been organised two years ago by Uttarakhand Tourism, Union Tourism Ministry and the Railway Ministry in Delhi, during which participants had sought direct trains from Dehradun and Kathgodam/Ramnagar to Mumbai. Similarly, there was need to consider a tourism circuit connecting Himachal Pradesh, UP, Delhi, Dehradun, Ramnagar, Kathgodam and Tanakpur via rail routes.
The Chief Minister pointed out that use of the Meerut-Mawana-Bijnor-Najibabad rail route to connect Kotdwar with Delhi would save 8 hours journey time, instead of the present Gajraula route. He sought
introduction of additional first AC and AC chair cars on the Delhi-Dehradun Jan Shatabdi, Delhi-Kathgodam/Ramnagar Sampark Kranti and Anand Vihar-Kathgodam Shatabdi trains. He also wanted a first AC bogey or half 1st and 2nd AC bogey on the Ranikhet Express for Ramnagar.
He also wanted international level modernisation and upgradation of the Dehradun, Haridwar, Roorkee, Kotdwar, Ramnagar, Kathgodam and Rudrapur railway stations taking their tourism and pilgrimage importance into consideration.
Along with this, he wanted daily train services from Kathgodam/Ramnagar to Amritsar and Jammu Tawi to serve the historic pilgrim sites of Nanak Matta Gurudwar, Champwats' Reetha-Meetha Sahib and Purnagiri Devi. He also sought a Shatabdi/Jan Shatabdi express to connect Chandigarh/Amritsar with Kathgodam/Ramnagar.
He has pointed out that there was enormous pressure on the roads of Uttarakhand making it difficult for the public and businessmen of the urban areas to get from one place to another. To reduce this pressure, he suggested strengthening of railway shuttle services between Dehradun and Haridwar, Rishikesh, Roorkee, Kotdwar and Kathgodam, as well as lalkuan/Pantnagar/Rudrapur/Kashipur/ Ramnagar/ Bazpur/ Moradabad. He also wanted a high speed service between Dehradun, Kathgodam and lucknow/Varanasi/Allahabad, as also upgradation of bogies being presently used. Better sanitation in the trains was also demanded.
Underlining the difficulties in improving the vastly crowded pilgrim and tourism routes connecting places like Haridwar, Rishikesh, Piran Kaliyar, pilgrim sites on the Ganga, etc., the Chief Minister suggested the implementation of major projects in PPP mode. An elevated railway line could be built in PPP mode on the Delhi-Haridwar-Rishikesh route, which would provide better services to the tourists. It would prove profitable from the FDI point of view also.