More funds, little else for region

Syed Ali Ahmed

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 25

The Railway Budget for 2016-17 has increased the allocations for Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.

Punjab has a total outlay of Rs 1,114 crore, an increase of 36 per cent, and Jammu and Kashmir Rs 2,061.8 crore, 26 per cent more than last year’s budget. Himachal Pradesh has a total outlay of Rs 310 crore, up 51 per cent, while Haryana has been allocated Rs 919 crore.

The government has also made a survey for three projects in Punjab: Rajpura-Mohali, Pathankot-Joginder Nagar (in Himachal) and Dasuya-Hoshiarpur. In Haryana, the railway ministry has approved four projects: Kaithal-Shamli-Meerut, Nawalgarh-Jhajjar and Neemka Thana, Jakhal-Fatehabad Bahuna-Ratia, Meerut-Panipat, and Bhiwani-Loharu.

Pathankot-Joginder Nagar gauge conversion and new Joginder Nagar-Mandi lines were approved in Himachal Pradesh and one project for Jammu and Kashmir: Jammu to Poonch via Akhnoor and Rajouri.

Suresh Prabhu said that in Jammu and Kashmir, despite difficult terrain and uncertain geology, work on the Katra-Banihal section of Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link Project is progressing satisfactorily and 35 km of tunnelling out of a total of 95 km has been completed successfully.

He said that the decongestion work on the Jalandhar- Jammu line, an important link to the valley, is going on in full swing. Doubling of two bridges will be commissioned by March, while the other two bridges will be completed by 2016-17.

“We intend taking up on priority the provision of passenger amenities and beautification of the Amritsar railway station,” the Minister said.