Karnal hopes for junction status to rly station

Parveen Arora

Tribune News Service

Karnal, February 25

People of Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar’s segment have high hopes from the Railway Budget to be presented on February 26.

They are optimistic that the Centre will fulfill their demand for granting the status of junction to the Karnal railway station built in 1892 by the British.

 

“In two years, the railway station will complete 125 years. But it lacks several facilities,” Rajeev Kumar of Sector-13, said.

 

He claimed announcements to grant the status of junction to the railway station were made in the rail budgets of 1998, 2010 and 2011, but nothing happened.

 

The government had announced laying railway tracks, linking Karnal to Yamunanagar and Kaithal. A survey was conducted several times, but the project never took off.

 

Jaspal Singh of Jarnail Colony demanded that the Centre should construct a rail coach factory in the city to generate employment.

 

The government should facilitate the stoppage of New Delhi-Kalka Shatabdi Express, New Delhi-Chandigarh Shatabdi Express, New Delhi-Amritsar Express, Swaraj Sarvodaya Jammu Tawi Express, Chandigarh-Indore Express and Sai Nagar Shirdi-Kalka Express at the Karnal railway station.

 

“The stoppage time of all express trains should be increased from two minutes to three minutes, while passenger trains should stop for two minutes instead of one,” he added.

 

Focus should be on Faridabad: Gurjar

 

faridabad: Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Krishan Pal Gurjar has appealed to Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu to focus on the development of rail services in Faridabad and Palwal districts in this year’s budget.

 

In a letter to Prabhu, Gurjar claimed that as more than 50,000 people from the two districts commute to Delhi on trains every day, he said there was need to raise the number of shuttle and EMU (Electric Multiple Unit) train services to the stations.

 

The MP sought extension of the EMU service to Hodal. “The problem of commuters will be solved to a large extent if a couple of trains leave the Palwal and Hodal stations in the evening.”

 

Gurjar has also demanded that the Faridabad railway station should be developed as a model one, as he claimed that it was an important point between Delhi and Agra and was used by thousands of passengers daily.

 

Installation of CCTV cameras, availability of RO drinking water and battery cars, digitisation of the reservation system, provision of Wi-Fi facility, a modern food court and state-of-the-art facility at retiring rooms was need of the hour, he said in the letter.

 

Several announcements expected for state: Ram Bilas

 

panipat: Haryana Education Minister Ram Bilas Sharma today said that a number of announcements were expected for the state in the Railway Budget, Prabhu is representing the state in Rajya Sabha.

 

“I had had met Prabhu a few days ago and sought starting several trains for Haryana and laying tracks in some parts. I am hopeful that he will take care of Haryana in the budget,” the minister told the media during a function at Sehra village in the district.

 

Ambala residents expecting some good news

 

ambala: City resident are expecting good news from the Railway Budget.

 

In the 2010-11 Railway Budget, then Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee had announced to transform the Ambala Cantt station into a world-class one. But only an escalator has been installed there since.

 

The construction of a rail bottling plant and the Yamunanagar-Chandigarh rail line via Naraingarh could not be started during the Congress regime because land has not been acquired.

 

Ambala MP Rattan Lal Kataria said he had met Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu and submitted a memorandum of pending projects in his constituency.

 

“I have advocated the construction of the Yamunanagar-Chandigarh via Naraingarh rail track. I am hopeful that the Railway Minister will not disappoint people of my constituency,” he said.

 

He claimed that the minister had assured him that land for the bottling plant would be acquired soon and the process for making Ambala Cantt world-class station would be initiated.

 

(Inputs from Bijendra Ahlawat, Dharmendra Joshi and Suman Bhatnagar)

‘Modi sir, we want rail underpass, not books’

kund (rewari): Nearly 400 school students of Kund town and members of the Kund Vikas Sangharsh Samiti protested at the railway station here on Wednesday, demanding the construction of a rail underpass. The protesters submitted a memorandum to the Naib Tehsildar. Students of Government Senior Secondary School have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in this regard. One of the letters reads: “Modi sir, we want an underpass at the Kund railway station to reach school safely, as we cross the rail track daily by putting our lives in danger. We will buy books on our own, but please get an underpass constructed so that we can reach our school in time.” Samiti chief Murari Lal said there was a passage at the railway station to cross the track, but it had been lying closed for three years following the directives of higher officials. — Ravinder Saini