Gurugram to have new railway terminal: Prabhu

Sunit Dhawan

Tribune News Service

Rohtak, April 4

Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu and Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar dedicated the newly electrified rail section between Rohtak and Jind to people here today. They also flagged off a new DEMU train between Jind and Sonepat through videoconferencing.

Addressing a gathering on the occasion, Prabhu announced that a new railway terminal equipped with world-class facilities would be established in Gurugram to reduce the mounting pressure on the Delhi terminal. Besides, the Rohtak railway station would be developed as a model station in the public-private-partnership (PPP) mode, he added.

In an embarrassment to the BJP leaders, Congress MP from Rohtak Deepender Hooda, who was present on the occasion, pointed out that the railway projects being inaugurated or dedicated to the public had been initiated, sanctioned and funded during the UPA regime.

He urged the Railway Minister as well as the state leadership to expedite the work on the sanctioned projects and initiate some new projects for Haryana.

Later, the Railway Minister maintained that the tender for the new Rohtak-Meham-Hansi railway line would be finalised in August and the work would be completed by the end of 2019. The work on the proposed Rail Coach Factory in Sonepat district would begin soon and it would be developed in the PPP mode.

Prabhu claimed that the Railways would save Rs 41,000 crore in the next 10 years by installing solar power plants, wind power plants and LED lights. With a view to promoting greenery, five crore saplings were also being planted by the railways, he added.

“Investment in the railways has been increased to Rs 3.5 lakh crore during the last two-and-a-half years. The present Union Government has increased the annual share of Haryana in the Rail Budget to Rs 1,247 crore for 2017-18. Survey work on 55 km Yamunanagar-Jagadhari-Kurukshetra-Ladwa link and 65 km Kaithal-Patiala link has been approved,” he asserted.

Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister thanked Prabhu for the new rail projects. He said a provision of Rs 100 crore had been made in the current year’s budget estimates for joint venture projects to be undertaken with the Railways.

“The government has also decided to construct railway overbridges (ROBs) or railway underbridges (RUBs) at all unmanned level-crossings in the state. As many as 24 ROBs and RUBs have already been constructed and 21 are under construction,” he said.

Finance Minister Capt Abhimanyu, Health Minister Anil Vij, Minister of State for Cooperation Manish Kumar Grover, Sonepat MP Ramesh Chander Kaushik, Rohtak Mayor Renu Dabla and Northern Railway General Manager RK Kulshrestha also spoke on the occasion.

MP, journalists allege police harassment

A Member of Parliament and journalists deputed to cover the Northern Railway programme and commuters going towards the Rohtak railway station during the event were harassed by the police personnel deputed there.

Talking to mediapersons, Rajya Sabha member from Haryana Shadi Lal Batra said his car bearing the official MP sticker was not allowed to cross the police naka at Maharaja Agarsain Chowk.

The police personnel deployed at the venue also stopped the vehicles of several journalists who had gone to cover the event. The policemen on duty also misbehaved with some journalists.