No funds allocated in Interim Budget, rail link eludes Paonta Sahib

Pankaj Sharma

Nahan, February 15

A rail network continues to elude Paonta Sahib. The Central Government had approved funds for three railway lines in Himachal Pradesh in the Interim Budget but the Paonta Sahib railway line found no mention. Local residents say that if the demand is not met before the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP will face consequences.

Low return rendered project non-feasible

• No funds allocated for the Paonta Sahib railway line in the Interim Budget this year
• Poor traffic and a low rate of return rendered the project non-feasible, as per the rules of the Railways
• The cost of the project was assessed at Rs 3,746 crore with a rate of return of -0.40%
• Another survey for a railway line from Pehowa (Kurukshetra) to Paonta Sahib via Jagadhri and Yamunanagar was also completed in 2013-14
• The cost of the 145-km project was pegged at Rs 1,954 crore with -3.90% rate of return
• The viability of the project is being assessed as Paonta Sahib is an emerging industrial and educational hub

“The issue is always raised during the elections but is forgotten later. Various surveys have been conducted for laying a railway line on the Jagadhari-Chandigarh-Dehradun route, comprising Paonta Sahib, but it has not materialised,” says a resident.

“If Paonta Sahib gets rail connectivity, the transportation of raw materials and goods will be cheaper for this emerging industrial hub. It will also facilitate Sikh devotees, not just from India but also abroad, in visiting the famous Gurdwara of Guru Gobind Singh in the town,” says Kedar Singh, another local resident.

Various local organisations have consistently raised the issue and written letters to the Chief Minister, Prime Minister and the Railway Minister. The Railway Ministry, after conducting various surveys, sent proposals for connecting Paonta Sahib through a railway line but little was done beyond that.

The residents remind BJP leaders about the promises made before the previous Lok Sabha elections, which remain unfulfilled. Former Shimla MP Virender Kashyap and sitting MP Suresh Kashyap had promised in their election manifestos that Paonta Sahib would be connected with a railway line.

Suresh Kashyap says that a detailed project report has been prepared for a railway line. “A meeting was also held with the Railway Minister in New Delhi on the issue and another survey would start soon. Poor traffic flow and a low rate of return have rendered the project non-feasible, as per the rules of the Railways,” he adds.

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had stated that a survey for a new broad gauge line from Ghanoli to Dehradun via Baddi, Nalagarh, Jagadhri, Surajpur, Kala Amb and Paonta Sahib (216 km) was completed in 2011. As per the survey report, the cost of the proposed new railway line was assessed at Rs 3,746 crore with a rate of return (ROR) of -0.40 per cent. The project could not be taken forward due to the low ROR, poor traffic and financial projections.

Another survey from Pehowa (Kurukshetra) to Paonta Sahib via Jagadhri and Yamunanagar was also completed in 2013-14. It had pegged the cost of the 145-km project at Rs 1,954 crore with -3.90 per cent ROR. It’s viability is being assessed, as Paonta Sahib is an emerging industrial and educational hub.

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