Dehradun, 13 Feb 2008

With barely a fortnight left for the announcement of the Railway budget, people here are not only waiting for the arrival of trains in the hill regions like other Himalayan states but are also looking forward to better rail connectivity with other states.

The visits of railway minister Mr Lalu Prasad to Uttarakhand many a time in the past and his promise of better rail links have raised the hope of the people of this hill state.

A few months ago, the minister admitted the need to have the Rishikesh-Karnaprayag and Tanakpur-Bageshwar rail links as part of the national plan. It is believed that there could be some announcement in this regard in the rail budget. Past surveys have recommended the rail link on the Rishikesh-Karnaprayag route. The first survey was done in 1919 on the initiatives of the then deputy commissioner of Garhwal JM Clay. The next survey was done in 1996, by the then minister of state for Railways Mr Satpal Maharaj. But the rail link on the hills here remained a dream.

Experts find no impediments to the construction of rail routes here. Dr PC Nawani, director of the Geological Survey of India, who is a consultant to the Rail line Plan in Jammu and Kashmir, says the hills of Uttarakhand are fit for the rail links. “The situation here is more favourable compared to Jammu and Kashmir as the rocks here are harder,” Dr Nawani said.

“It is perhaps due to the lack of political will that the hills of Uttarakhand are still without trains,” Mr Naveen Gupta, a trader said. He reasoned: “If there can be trains in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Darjeeling, why not in Uttarakhand?”

The people also long for the Doon-Saharanpur rail line, a double rail line from Doon-Luxar and its electrification, a fast train to Mumbai and direct trains to other parts of the country, particularly Bangalore and Goa.

With the growing number of tourists, it is essential to have better rail connectivity, Mr LM Sharma, an insurance company manager said. According to him, the Doon-Saharanpur line would help frequent travellers as it would shorten by two hours the distance from Dehradun to Delhi. It would be about 30-35 km, railway officials said.

News Source: http://www.thestatesman.net