Beautification of Haridwar rly station is only solace

tTribune News Service

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Dehradun, February 25

Uttarakhand has failed to get any sop from Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu in the Railway Budget 2016-17.

The state was hoping to get new trains in the budget but the Railway Minister did not make any announcement. The state was banking on the Union Railway Budget to provide the necessary fillip to development, particularly in the tourism and industry sectors.

Uttarakhand continues to suffer from poor connectivity as its railway infrastructure is limited to the plains of Dehradun, Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar. Moreover, even in these three districts, the railway infrastructure is confined to some parts and that too is in a very poor condition.

More than 100-year-old Dehradun railway station urgently needs a facelift. There are a few platforms at the Dehradun station and they are small in size. Thus trains with more than 13 coaches cannot be operated from here. It was also expected that the budget would fulfil the long-standing demand for double track between Dehradun and Haridwar railway stations. At present there is a single track between these two stations that causes inconvenience to passengers. The ambitious Rishikesh-Karanprayag and Bageshwar-Tanakpur railway projects have also failed to find favour with the Railway Minister.

The only solace was the inclusion of the Haridwar railway station in the list of stations identified by the Indian Railways to be given priority in providing passenger amenities and beautification of pilgrimage centres.

As Uttarakhand shares borders with China and Nepal, the state has been expecting much from the railway budget from the defence point of view. China has already brought its railway network close to the border, which has been a cause for concern for India.

As the Uttarakhand Assembly elections are due next yeat, the ruling Congress will try to blame the Central government for doing little for the state. The total neglect of the state in the Railway budget will give enough ammunition to the Uttarakhand Congress against the BJP in the state.