‘Fresh survey for Jagadhari-Paonta Sahib line’

Shimla, March 1 : A fresh survey will be conducted for the Jagadhari-Paonta Sahib new railway line in Himachal Pradesh with a focus on freight from industrial area in Paonta Sahib, while a study would be conducted to examine the feasibility of strengthening the Kalka-Shimla track to improve the speed of the trains.

This was decided at a meeting held here on Monday between the visiting Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal and Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur.

The Union minister said a budget allocation of Rs 770 crore has been made for the infrastructure projects and safety works in the state in the budget for 2021-22.He said this was 613 per cent more than the average allocation from 2009 to 2014.

The Chief Minister said coaches of Kalka-Shimla railway should be designed and manufactured to enhance the tourism experience.He urged the Union Railways Minister to provide vista dome-type coaches so that the tourists could get a panoramic view of beautiful valleys en route.

Thakur said steps must be taken to expedite work on the Bhanupalli-Beri and Chandigarh railway lines.He thanked the Union Minister for allocating Rs 405 crore for Bhanupalli-Beri railway line and Rs 200 crore for the Chandigarh-Baddi line.

The Chief Minister further said the Chandigarh-Baddi railway line would go a long way in giving boost to industrial activities as the industrialists would be able to easily transport raw material as well as manufactured products in various destinations.