No consent on Chandigarh-Rajpura rail route from Punjab govt: Railway Minister Ashwani Vaishnaw

Sanjeev Singh Bariana

Chandigarh, July 28

While replying to a question on the status of a proposed Chandigarh-Rajpura rail route in Parliament during the Question Hour, Railway Minister Ashwani Vaishnaw today said Punjab had not given consent for a joint venture or for providing free land and sharing 50 per cent of the cost of this project.

Patiala MP Preneet Kaur asked the Union Minister about the current status of the railway line and the time period within which the project would be completed.

Vaishnaw said, “The proposal for a joint venture between the Ministry of Railways and the Punjab Government for undertaking work on the Chandigarh-Rajpura rail route is pending with the state.”

The reply read that Rajpura was connected to Chandigarh rail line via Ambala railway station. For a direct connectivity between the two stations, a survey was conducted in 2014. The poor traffic projections indicated that the project could not be implemented.

The Railways Minister said an alternative plan, Rajpura-Mohali rail line project (23.89 km), was included in the 2016-2017 Budget subject to obtaining required approvals. A detailed project report (DPR) was prepared by the Indian Railways. The DPR gave poor traffic projections saying the project was not financially viable.

The state was contacted in November 2016, December 2017 and January 2018 to form a joint venture between the Ministry of Railways and the Punjab Government for undertaking such a rail project or provide free land and share 50 per cent of the cost of the project.

The Union Minister said the state government had not given the consent.

Meanwhile, Rajpura-Ambala-Chandigarh distance is around 65 km while Rajpura-Chandigarh will be 40 km.

Former Patiala MP, Dharamvira Gandhi, had also raised this issue in Parliament during his tenure (2014-2019).

Proposal pending with state

The proposal for a joint venture between the Ministry of Railways and the Punjab Government for undertaking work on the Chandigarh-Rajpura rail route is pending with the state. — Ashwani Vaishnaw, Railway Minister