Over 14K workers employed in Katra-Kashmir rail project

The direct rail line from Katra to Kashmir Valley has created employment opportunities for locals and facilitated the construction of approach roads to previously inaccessible mountainous areas. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate the rail link on June 6.

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As the construction of rail link required land in different areas, government issued a policy for appointment of member of land losers, whose more than 75% land acquired by Railways. Against this policy, the government jobs for 804 eligible beneficiaries were given by Railways.

The Railways also provided indirect employment during the construction work on the rail link. As many as 14,069 workers were provided employment by project executing agencies during construction period out of which 65% employment was given to locals of J&K, an official said.

All the works on Udhampur–Srinagar–Baramula Rail Link (USBRL) project including tunneling, bridge works, electrification, track laying were highly specialised and executed through state-of-the-art technology and methods. “Tremendous skill development of the local artisans and workers were resulted and now these workers are successfully working as trained skilled workers on other precious projects of the country” the official informed.

Many of the project sites were highly inaccessible and terror infested during the period of inception. Due to the rail link project, more than 215 km approach roads to provide access for tunnel and bridges sites were constructed in these inaccessible areas. The construction of these approach roads was very challenging, as per officials, due to difficult climatic conditions, treacherous terrain, and unstable Himalayan geology. Law and order problem was another issue.

“With a view to accelerate progress of construction of approach road up to most remote part of project, airlift of heavy construction machineries using army helicopters from Jammu airport was done. A table top helipad was constructed by levelling a 100 m x 40m stretch of land near Surukote village in between Dugga and Sawalkote using mere hand tools. MI-26 Helicopters was used for heli-lifting of heavy construction machines” the official informed.

With the completion of these approach roads, the connectivity in over 70 villages including Guni, Paikhad, Gran, Bakkal, Kauri, Dugga, Surukot, sawalkot, Basindhadhar, Ind, Baralla, Sangaldan, Talwa, Dharam,kholi, Megdar, sumbar, urnihal, siran, kundan, khari, Hingni, Arpinchala, Tatnihal, Chaplain, among others has drastically improved.