Haryana to have rail coach factory on PPP model: Prabhu

Sunit Dhawan

Tribune News Service

Rohtak, April 25

A Rail Coach Factory will be set up in Haryana on the public-private partnership (PPP) model.

The state and the Railways will soon ink an agreement to set up a special purpose vehicle (SPV) for the prompt execution of the railway projects.

Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu said this while inaugurating the electrification of the 252 km Rohtak-Bathinda-Lehra Mohabbat railway track at the cost of Rs 294 crore here today.

On the demand of CM Manohar Lal, the Railway Minister directed the officials concerned to work out the modalities of making the railway track passing through Rohtak town underground or shifting it out of the town and remodelling it on the pillar-based metro rail system.

Prabhu also assured the CM of starting a train between Bhiwani - Haridwar and ensuring the modernisation of the local railway station. He proposed to hold high-level meetings between Railway – Haryana officials for fast-tracking the projects.

“We plan to make an investment of Rs 8.5 lakh crore in the Railways. Nearly 2,000 km of rail tracks would be electrified every year for the next five years, he informed.

The CM urged Prabhu to establish railway lines between Karnal-Yamunanagar, Fatehabad Mansa, Ferozepur -Jhirka-Alwar and Hisar-Sirsa via Agroha, besides getting the work on the Jind-Sonepat track expedited.

Later, Prabhu and his wife Uma Prabhu also visited the CM’s ancestral village Nindana, which he (Prabhu) has adopted. Interacting with the villagers and the panchayat, the Union minister assured them of planned and systematic development of their village.

Rohtak MLA Manish Grover welcomed Prabhu and the CM to the village. District BJP chief Ramesh Bhatia, DC Shekhar Vidyarthi and SP Shashank Anand were also present.