Geo-technical surveys for Rishikesh-Karanprayag rail project to begin after polls, says top railway official.
The geo-technical and other surveys for the Rs 5000 crore-Rishikesh-Karanprayag rail project would begin only after the completion of the Assembly election process, a top railway official said on Wednesday.
“We have to hire agencies for carrying out geo-technical, geo-physical and geological surveys for the Rishikesh-Karanprayag project. But the tendering process will begin only after the elections are over,” he said.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi during her election rally in Uttarakhand yesterday made a commitment to realise the longstanding dream of the Garhwal region for an early completion of the rail project, the foundation stone ceremony for which has already been held at Gauchar in the hilly Chamoli district on November 9 last year.
The project was conceptualised by the former British government in 1920s. The official said the project is now at the final stages of planning and budgetary provisions have already been made. Congress party in its election manifesto has also promised to complete land acquisition process within six months of completion of the railway surveys.
The project which is expected to be completed in 5-10 years time period would finally connect the backward Garhwal region with the rest of the country through a rail link which would shorten the arduous 8 hour-road journey between the holy city of Rishikesh and Karanprayag to just 4 hours. The 125-km-long Rishikesh-Karanprayag railway line was sanctioned by the Railways ministry in 2010 and a sum of Rs 4,295 crore has already been earmarked in the Railway Budget. The project, which was earlier entrusted to the engineering wing of the Northen Railways, would now be undertaken by the Railways Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL). The corporation had been given a time frame of 5-10 years to complete the railway line that would have 12 railway stations and 81 tunnels as per the rough estimate.
The project is expected to usher in a new wave of developments in the backward Garhwal region where road journeys are very arduous and time consuming.