Ahead of Punjab Election , the Union Cabinet approves doubling of Rajpura-Bhatinda railway line
NEW DELHI : Famous socialist parliamentarian Madhu Dandavate who later became Railway Minister once while discussing some issue related to the Indian Railways in Parliament that “where there is a will there is a Railway, where there is no will there a survey’’.
One is reminded of this wit of the simpleton Professor Dandavate on Wednesday after it was announced that the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has given its approval for doubling of Rajpura-Bhatinda railway line at an estimated cost of Rs.1,251.25 crore and expected completion cost of Rs.1,465.59 crore. The 172.64 km long railway line is expected to be completed in five years.
What exactly the `approval’ would mean we would have to wait for the finer details. But what is crystal clear is that the approval is keeping in mind the interest the ruling Akali-BJP combine in the state of Punjab where the state Assembly is due for polls in the next few months.
Punjab is a key state the Akalis as well as the BJP. For the later it would be a test case on the impact of the decision of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on demonitisation of Rs. 500 and Rs. 1000 denomination notes.
Of course, proof if any of its approval was available in the thumping victory of the BJP in the just concluded civic polls in Chandigarh. But the opposition can always argue well it is purely urban and it is the rural voters who are waiting to punish the Modi Government!
Punjab along with four other states are due polls in the next weeks, Most probably, the elections to the Assemblies of Punjab, Goa, Manipur, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand might be held by the Election Commission simultaneously. So, we do not have to wait for too long to know the sentiments of voters, both rural and urban. It is a fairly large sample and can actually be called a mini-general election.
A statement by the Press Information Bureau (PIB) on Wednesday on the approval for doubling of Rajpura-Bhatinda railway line said that the present utilization of this section is nearly 100 per cent. Enhancement of capacity of power plants and planned freight terminals will generate additional freight traffic on this route.
The doubling will ease the traffic bottlenecks and will bring more revenue to Indian Railways by capacity enhancement of the route. The districts of Patiala, Sangrur, Barnala and Bathinda would also be benefitted through this project.
The Rajpura-Bathinda section falls in Ambala Division of Northern Railway. At present traffic utilization of the section is nearing saturation. This line is strategically important as several military specials are routed on this line connecting the Western border.
The main objective for doubling between Rajpura-Bathinda is to remove capacity constraint and to cater for future growth of traffic on the important route of Indian Railways.
