CM urges Prabhu to accord top priority for developing Delhi-Chandigarh-Amritsar high speed rail corridor

New Delhi, February 12, 2014: Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today impressed upon the Union Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu to develop High Speed Rail Corridor “Delhi-Chandigarh-Amritsar” on priority.

The Chief Minister who called on Prabhu at his office in Rail Bhawan this evening said that it was a matter of great pride for the state that this project has already been included in the Vision-2020 document of Railways. He said that they have been informed that as per this document four out of the six identified corridors were to be developed with a High Speed Rail Connection. So keeping in view the immense contribution of Punjabis in overall development of the nation, this significance project must be allocated to the state, added Badal.

Deliberating on another issue, the Chief Minister urged Prabhu to give fresh date for laying foundation stone for logistics park at Ludhiana, Quila Raipur. Likewise, he also impressed upon the Union Minister to extend the Eastern Freight Corridor and the Western Freight Corridor planned upto Ludhiana further to Attari Integrated Check Post. Likewise, Badal requested the Railway Minister that his Ministry should bear the entire project cost including land cost of Ferozepur-Patti railway line sanctioned in the railway budget during year 2013 and the work should be taken up at the earliest.

Flagging up another issue the Chief Minister urged Pranhu to expedite the process of construction of a new line from Rama Mandi via Maur Mandi to Sri Damdama Sahib, Talwandi Saabo keeping in view religious importance one of the five Takhts of Sikh panth as announced by the then Railway Minister in his Rail budget during 2013-2014. Likewise, he said that announcements in similar budget pertaining to electrification of Jakhal-Dhuri-Ludhiana line, surveys for new lines of Dhuri Byepass, Rajpura Byepass, Sri Anandpur Sahib- Chamkaur sahib-Ludhiana, surveys for doubling of Bathinda –Abhor-Sriganganagar, Ferozepur-Bathinda, Jakhal-Dhuri-Ludhiana and Rajpura-Bathinda via Dhuri railway tracks must also be given due consideration. Similarly Badal also requested the Union Minister to sanction doubling of Bathinda – Mansa rail route and expediting of double line on Bathinda-Jakhal section for the benefit of newly commissioned Talwandi Saabo thermal plant.

The Chief Minister also requested Prabhu for laying two new railway lines from Hoshiarpur to Dasuya and from Moga to Kotakpura. Similarly he also sought extension of trains from Mumbai and other southern destinations to Amritsar/Jammu adding that Railway stations of Amritsar, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Bathinda, Mohali, Pathankot and Hoshiarpur must be upgraded and modernised.

Expressing gratitude to Prabhu for sanctioning 115 Limited Height Subways in Punjab, the Chief Minister apprised him that 123 additional locations have been identified for providing Limited Height Subways by a joint committee of Railways and PWD. He urged the Union Minister to include these 123 locations in the current phase of construction of RUBs. Badal also sought additional rakes for Thermal plants of Punjab State Power Corporation Ltd (PSPCL) from eastern railways.

Responding to the issues raised by the Chief Minister, Prabhu assured him that he would get all these matters resolved in the coming days. He specifically asked the Chairman Railway Board to constitute a Special Task Force exclusively dedicated to resolve the pending Railways issues of Punjab on top priority. Prabhu also assured the Chief Minister that the upgradation and modernisation of Mohali and Amritsar Railway stations would be taken up shortly and sought cooperation from state in this regard.    

The Chief Minister was accompanied by his Principal Secretary SK Sandhu and Special Principal Secretary KJS Cheema.