Shimla: Hopes of expanding the rail network in Himachal lied dashed as neither the vital Chandigarh-Baddi rail track nor the Bhanupalli-Bilaspur rail line or the ambitious Mandi-Manali line for defence purposes finds mention in the budget presented by Mamta Banerjee, the railway minister, earlier in the day.
A disappointed, Prem Kumar Dhumal, chief minister said, “it was not fair for the central government to ignore the interests of Himachal Pradesh in the railway budget, presented in the Lok Sabha today.â€
He said, “the need for expanding the rail network had been pursued with the prime minister, union finance minister and railway minister, from time to time, but it was unfortunate that the all our needs have been ignored,†all these in the budget presented in Lok Sabha.
We have been seeking inclusion of new railway lines, expansion of existing railway lines, taking up work on a strategic line proposed from Mandi, Manali onto Leh, for the Bilaspur-Bhanupalli rail line and the Chandigarh-Baddi rail line, for which a financial survey has already been conducted, said Dhumal.
Our interest are primarily ignored because we are a peaceful state, said the chief minister, adding, whereas states like Jammu & Kashmir and North Eastern States where law and order situation was not good, have been given special packages or special railway corridors, which was not correct, chief minister said.
As Editor, Ravinder Makhaik leads a team of media professionals at Hill Post.
Spanning a career of over two decades in mass communication, as a Documentary Filmmaker, TV journalist, Print Media journalist and with Online & Social Media, he brings with him a vast experience. He lives in Shimla.
