16 months on, elevated rail track yet to come up

Nitish Sharma

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Tribune News Service

Kurukshetra, November 16

As many as 16 months have passed since the project of an elevated railway track was cleared by the Centre in Thanesar of Kurukshetra, but the project is yet to come up on the ground.

Earlier, the government had planned to complete the tender-related process in August so that the work could be started in September, but following an objection — related to the project’s design — raised by the Railways, the project got delayed. A 6-km-long elevated railway track in the Kurukshetra-Narwana section of Delhi division in Thanesar town of Kurukshetra was approved in July last year. Its foundation stone was laid in August and the tender of Rs 212.73 crore was floated by the Haryana Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation, a joint venture of the Union Ministry of Railways and the state government, in July this year. While the Railways’ contribution is Rs 100 crore, the state government will spend the remaining amount. The track will eliminate five railway crossings at Main Bazaar, Jhansa Road, near Birla Mandir, near LNJP Hospital and near the third gate of Kurukshetra University in the town.

Earlier, two rail overbridges (ROB) and underpass were to be constructed near the old bus stand and the third gate of Kurukshetra University but even after the construction of these ROBs and underpass, commuters continued to wait at three railway crossings. Considering these facts, a demand for an elevated railway track was raised before CM Manohar Lal Khattar. Thanesar MLA Subhash Sudha said, “The Railways had raised some design-related objection which has been cleared now. I am in constant touch with the authorities and the tender will be allotted in a few days. After the tender is allotted, the firm will be given 30 months to complete the project.”