Will this attitude of complaining to PM ever work. This has been happening every year as the needs of himachal are falling in to the deaf ears of the center. The Chief minister of HP should adopt a strategy similar to that of Jayalalitha (For cauvery water) and Narendra Modi (Narmada Dam), when they sat on hunger strike against the shoddy attitude of the central govt.
Shimla, February 27
Expressing disappointment at the inadequate funds being given to Himachal Pradesh in the rail budget, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today said he would take up the matter with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
It was leader of opposition P.K. Dhumal who raised the matter in the assembly after question hour. The former Chief Minister said the railway Minister had done great injustice with the people of Himachal by not including any main rail line projects important for the hill state.
“I request the Chief Minister to adopt a resolution which we will support to plead Himachal’s case before the centre,†Mr Dhumal said. He said some other smaller states had been given far more funds but Himachal’s claims had been practically ignored.
Virbhadra Singh said though he welcomed the rail budget in general, he was certainly disappointed at the non-inclusion of major projects in Himachal in this year’s budget. “I will personally meet the Prime Minister and the railways minister and convey the disappointment of the people of the state and request them to do whatever is possible and rectify this mistake,†he remarked.
The CM said he was more disappointed as despite the Prime Minister’s announcement that the Bilaspur-Bhanupalli rail line would be taken up as a national project and the Nangal-Talwara line would be completed within two years, they did not find mention in the rail budget.
The Chief Minister said the Bhanupalli-Bilaspur line was the most crucial for Himachal as it would connect a number of districts and open up the hinterland for industrialisation.
Mr Dhumal said the negligible funds allocated to Himachal in the rail budget was a matter of concern for all.
Born in Bilaspur, Dr. Vatsayayan is Professor and Head of the Aerospace Engineering Department at IIT, Mumbai, India.
Yes, he needs to take along all the people from Himachal and show strength and ask central government why no improvement is being made in railways network in HP. Lalu Yadav can take all trains to Bihar however Himachal is given step motherly treatment since years in railways sector. After all with so much money why Railway wont improve network in HP.
But again it can be achieved only by mass movement of people.And if people need to get it done, they need to come to a platform and raise voice.
Kangra rail track faces Rly apathy
Ravinder Sood
Palampur, April 8
Kangra valley narrow-gauge railway line, which plays a significant role in the economy of the state, is in bad shape thanks to the apathy of the Indian Railways, which has made no effort in the past 70 years to convert this 120-km track into a broad-gauge line.
The British laid this line in 1932 linking all important and religious towns of Kangra and part of Mandi district. It is stated that the main objective to lay this track was to carry heavy equipment for the installation of the first ever hydroelectric power house at Jogindernagar.
Unfortunately, the Railways has not added anything to this track in the past 73 years. A number of plans were drawn to convert it into a broad-gauge line, but all remained confined to files.
With manifold increase in the population and tourist traffic in the past 25 years, the Railways has failed to come up to the expectations of the people.
The same century-old and outdated engines and coaches have been plying on the track. The authorities could not even introduce a regular first-class compartment.
At present, seven trains are plying on this route daily, covering 33 stations and passing through important places like Nurpur, Jwali, Jwalamukhi Road, Kangra, Nagrota Bagwan, Chamunda, Palampur, Baijnath and Jogindernagar, which are also major tourist centres of the state. No efforts were made to set up a proper ticket window at Pathankot.
The condition of the rail track between Pathankot and Jogindernagar has gone from bad to worse in the past 10 years, as the authorities have no funds to repair the same.
Several small and big bridges are in bad shape. The retaining walls have developed cracks. Wooden logs of the line have already lived their life but no efforts are being made to replace these. The residential quarters and railway station buildings are also crying for repair.
Besides, almost all 33-railway stations of the Kangra valley lack basic facilities like drinking water, cleanliness and waiting room for passengers.