Himachal Govt providing full co-operation in construction of railway projects: Agnihotri
Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri said here today that the opposition leaders of the state are making baseless statements about the ongoing railway projects in Himachal Pradesh. He clarified that the state government was providing full co-operation to the central government at every level for the development of these projects. He said that the central government must fulfill its responsibility in the construction of these projects.
Mukesh Agnihotri said that the allegation by the opposition that the state government is not co-operating is completely baseless and misleading. He said: “The state government’s viewpoint is clear. We are rising above political differences and working with the central government for the development of the state. The railway projects are extremely important for the economic, social and tourism development of Himachal. These will not only help in connecting the remote areas of the state with other parts of the country but are also important from the national security and strategic point of view.”
Sh. Agnihotri stated that for a hilly and special category state like Himachal, rail connectivity is as important as road and air connectivity. He said: “It is the priority of the state government that the Bhanupalli-Bilaspur-Beri rail line, Chandigarh-Baddi rail line and Nangal-Talwara rail line projects are completed on time.” In these projects, the state government has not only made financial contribution but has also played an active role in land acquisition, administrative approvals and completing other necessary formalities, he said adding that the state government has so far contributed Rs. 847 crore as the state share for the construction of Bhanupalli-Bilaspur-Beri rail line. He further stated that the work on this railway line is in progress and this work is expected to be completed till Bilaspur by December 31, 2027. The State Government has already paid its share in the cost of Bhanupalli-Bilaspur-Beri rail line.
He said that there was a delay in the implementation of this project, so the project cost reported by Rail Vikas Nigam Limited has increased by 6.45 times to Rs 6753.42 crore. Now the State’s share has increased to Rs 2583.01 crore, which includes land acquisition cost of Rs 1210.42 crore. Thus, the State Government has to spend 38.84 percent of the total project cost.
The Deputy CM said that the work of Chandigarh-Baddi Rail Line Project is in progress. This project has been declared as a special railway project by the Government of India. The length of this project costing Rs 1540.113 crore is 30.28 km. The State Government’s share in this is Rs 363.50 crore, out of which Rs 223.75 crore has been given to Northern Railway. The target has been set to complete the work of this railway line by April 30, 2026.
He added that most of the Nangal-Talwara railway line has been completed and it has been opened for traffic from Nangal to Daulatpur Chowk. The entire cost of this project is being borne by the Central Government, in which the state government has also played a supporting role. The length of this project is 122.57 km, out of which 60.03 km of land is located in Himachal Pradesh and 62.24 km of land is located in Punjab. A total of 59.325 km of work on this project has been completed.
Mukesh Agnihotri said: “Rail projects play the most important role in the development of the entire nation. These projects are also important from a strategic point of view. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the Central Government to bear the full cost of construction of rail projects in Himachal, so that they can be completed on time.”
He added: “The geographical conditions of Himachal Pradesh are different from other states and the income resources here are also limited. Therefore, the Central Government should bear the cost of the railway projects under construction in the state by shouldering its moral responsibility.”
The Deputy Chief Minister said that he himself reviews these projects from time to time and maintains co-ordination with the Railway Ministry so that there is no unnecessary delay in the work.
He urged the opposition to refrain from making statements without confirming the facts and work together in the interest of the state. He reiterated that the Himachal Pradesh Government is fully committed to expand the rail network in partnership with the Central Government, so that the citizens of the state can get better transport facilities, faster connectivity and new economic opportunities.
