The Prime Minister Shri Narender Modi today
dedicated to the nation the newly constructed railway line between Shri Mata
Vaishno Devi Katra and Udhampur in the state of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K).
Shri Modi also flagged off first train –a DMU – from newly constructed Shri
Mata Vaishnodevi Katra Railway Station at a programme held at Katra, The Guests
of Honour present at the function included Shri N. N. Vohra, Governor of
J&K and Shri Omar Abdullah, Chief Minister of J&K. The function was
presided over by Shri D.V. Sadananda Gowda, Minister of Railways. The
distinguished guests included Shri Manoj Sinha, Minister of State for Railways,
Government of India and Dr. Jitendra Singh, Minister of State (Independent
Charge) Science and Technology, Earth Science & Minister of State in Prime
Minister’s Office, Personnel, Public Grievances, & Pensions, Department of
Atomic Energy, Department of Space, Government of India. Chairman Railway
Board, Shri. Arunendra Kumar, Member Engineering Railway Board Shri V. K.
Gupta, General Manager, Northern Railway & North Central Railway Shri
Pradeep Kumar, Senior officials of Railways and J&K State Government were
among those present on the occasion.
Following is the text of Minister of Railways Shri
D.V. Sadananda Gowda:-
“I am greatly honoured to be here in this holy abode
of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi and to be part of this historic occasion.
Linking of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi shrine with Indian Railways Network has been
a dream for many, not only in this part of the country, but for the whole
nation. At this outset I wholeheartedly thank the Hon’ble Prime Minister of
India on behalf of Indian Railways for having come here and inaugurating this
great facility of Rail link to the Holy Place of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi. The
Rail connectivity to this holy place of Katra will occupy a pride of place on
the rail map of the country. The linkage will provide an opportunity to
large number of pilgrims who had aspired throughout their life to visit this
revered shrine of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi through the comfort of Railways.
Visiting this revered shrine and seeking the Goddess blessing is a dream of
every devout pilgrim. The Rail linkage will mark a milestone in the
Railway’s effort towards fulfilling the aspirations of common public.
This state of Jammu & Kashmir occupies a special place in every
Indian’s heart. This State which has been a birth place of early civilization,
is a mosaic of colourful and harmonious culture with vibrant social fabric.
The linkage to the valley will enable every Indian to visit this wonderful
place through the comfort of Railways and appreciate the God’s gift to this
country.
Rail
transport in the country has brought economic and social development leading to
greater economic growth by opening new avenues of employment, trade, industrial
development. I am sure the Rail connectivity to Katra will provide better
opportunities for local artisans, traders and student community. Under the able
and effective leadership of Shri Narendra Modi ji, Hon’ble Prime Minister of
India, this Valley of Kashmir will be heralded with a new hope and development
in all spheres of the governance and the State in toto.
The Rail link is a triumph of every Indian spirit to overcome the arduous
hurdles of nature for reaching the people in this far-flung area. The
Rail link is a result of many aspiration and dreams of the people of this
country and had been made possible through tremendous perseverance and hard
work of not only the Railway work force, but for many other supporting
organizations who have worked day and night to fulfill this dream. Technically,
this 26 km long Udhampur-Katra rail link was a challenge as more than 40% of
the route is on tunnels having 7 major bridges and steep curves. To
conquer the hilly Shivalik ranges, innovative approaches were adopted to ensure
highest standards of operations and safety. My salutations to every officer,
engineer and staff of Indian Railways and all the persons who contributed
through their sweat and labour for their commendable job in executing this
project. The Rail project has enabled permanent jobs for 700 persons whose land
was taken over for the project. As part of the project, 235 kms
approach roads to work sites have been constructed which will provide
road connectivity to far flung villages in the State benefitting huge rural
population of the State.
I am aware that since Katra to Banihal Rail project is yet to be
commissioned, full rail connectivity to Kashmir valley is currently
unavailable. To overcome this missing link, Railways had planned to
bridge this link through Rail cum Road facility in collaboration with Jammu
& Kashmir State Road Transport Corporation. This facility will enable
direct connectivity between Srinagar and rest of India to commuters. Earlier
the introduction of rail services in Kashmir Valley has been a great success
and considering the huge demand, Railways have not only enhanced the carrying
capacity of DEMU trains from 8 to 12 Coaches, but have also planned 4 more
pairs of enhanced services in the Kashmir Valley thereby providing a safe,
affordable and comfortable option of transport to people in this State.
I am also happy to announce that 3 pairs of train services
currently between Jammu to Udhampur will be extended to Katra. The
Railway has also planned to run 3 pairs of Express trains from New Delhi,
Kalka, Ahmedabad, Mumbai and Bangalore. Indian Railways is committed for
ensuring a balanced development of different regions of the country through
Rail transport. With the opening of the Rail linkage and by increasing
the frequency of Rail services, I am sure there will be a definitive thrust to
development in Jammu & Kashmir enabling economic development and greater
investment opportunities.
I am grateful to His Excellency, the Governor of Jammu & Kashmir,
Shri Vohraji, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir, Shri Omar Abdullah
ji for their valuable time, my colleagues Dr Jitender Singh ji and MLA Shri
Baldev Raj ji. On this occasion, I am thankful to the Honourable Prime Minister
for being part of this momentous occasion as his presence and guidance will
encourage us to fulfill its commitments to the people of this country and
specially the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Thank you. Jai Hind.”
The Katra – Udhampur section is a part of ambitious
326 Killometer long Udhampur- Katra-Quazigund- Srinagar -Baramulla
Railway Line (USBRL) Project of Northern Railway and will provide
seamless flow of rail traffic through Jammu to Katra via Udhampur through the
entire Indian Railways network. The newly
constructed Udhampur - Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Rail Line is 25.6 km. long,
consisting of the 9.4 km. long Udhampur- Chak Rakhwal and 15.5 km. long Chak
Rakhwal- Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra sections. This railway line connects the
important towns of Jammu region also. Of the towns in Jammu region, Katra, a
tehsil of district Reasi, has great importance because this is the place from
where the faithful commence their pilgrimage to the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi
Shrine. So far this town was connected with Jammu Tawi, where devotees usually
congregate from all over the country, only through National Highway 1-A. With
the completion of the Udhampur-Katra railway line, there is now another mode of
mass transportation available to the pilgrims.
This Railway alignment passes through unstable geological formations and highly
undulating and difficult hilly terrain of Shivalik & Trikuta ranges of
Himalayas. It crosses a number of rivers, nallahs, canals, channels and khads
in addition to number of roads, cart paths and footpaths. This rail section
serves the district of Udhampur & Reasi. This section has 10.9 km of
tunneling, one important, 7 major and 29 minor bridges. The station on this
section is Chakrakhwal in addition to Udhampur and Katra. The construction of
the rail line necessitated building of 12 ROB/RUBs in addition to about 38.86
lac cum of earthwork. The approx. cost of this rail section is Rs. 1132.75
crore upto 31st March 2014. The bridge on River Jhajjar is the
longest Steel Girder Bridge in India with a height of 85 m and with two spans
of 154m each. The rail section has 22 curves with the sharpest curve at 5O.
The construction of the entire permanent way and structures on this rail section
was a challenging task. Tunnel No. 23 is the longest tunnel on the
section at 3.1 km. and it has ballast less track between Udhampur and Chak
Rakhwal station.
Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra station is provided with modern passenger
conveniences. It is a four line crossing station. Platform No. 1, 2 & 3 the
main passenger train dealing platforms are 550m long high level Platform each
with 400 m long platform shelter. To facilitate passengers for
going from platform no.1 to platform no 2 & 3 and exit from station from
Platform No.1, two Foot-over-Bridges, with one side ramp and other side stairs
are provided. Lifts have also been provided to facilitate passengers for going
from platform no.1 to exit from station. One escalator connecting station
building and PF-1 is also provided. Sufficient water booths are provided on all
platforms. Public conveniences, water taps, benches, etc. are also provided on
all the platforms. One through FOB has been provided for the local people of
the town.
The construction of the USBRL project has other benefits for the local
residents. More than 235 kms of approach roads are being built along
construction sites for carrying of construction material. These roads will
benefit the villagers of far-flung areas which had no roads previously. Also
700 of landowners from whom more than 75% of their land was acquired for this
project have been given a permanent job in the Railways. At present trains run
up to Udhampur via Jammu from the Indian Railway network to terminate there.
After the commissioning of Udhampur-Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra section,
trains will start operating upto Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra,
providing an- all weather connectivity with significantly reduced travel time.
Falling in difficult and mountainous terrain, the
State of Jammu & Kashmir has always been a challenge to transportation
providers. Other factors which increase the difficulty in providing modes of
mass transportation is that the area is geologically unstable, prone to tremors
and earthquakes, with deep gorges alternating steep, rocky mountains. For any
construction activity, the weather is quite inclement. Long months of incessant
rains and heavy snow can put life on hold. Despite these constraints, the lure
of the beauty of this area has not been contained. Northern Railway has worked
in these circumstances and has constructed the most modern railway line in the
Kashmir Valley which provides economical, all weather connectivity, the Banihal
– Baramulla railway line which is a part of the 326 km. long
Udhampur-Katra-Quazigund – Srinagar – Baramulla railway line
(USBRL). This railway line is a project of National importance. The present approximate estimated cost of the USBRL project is Rs 19565
Cr. So far, about Rs. 9666.71 cr has been spent upto 31st March,
2014.
Once completed, the entire network of Indian
Railway will be connected to the Kashmir Valley. The Kashmir Valley
railway is a 119 km long railway line that became completely operational in
October 2009. It connects Baramulla in the western part of Kashmir Valley to Quazigund at the other end of the Valley, via Srinagar. This line has been extended to Banihal through a
tunnel T-80 which pierces through the Pir Panjal range, thus providing an- all
weather connectivity to Kashmir Valley with the Jammu Region. The
residents of the area appreciate the promise of all weather connectivity,
especially when other facilities grind to a halt in deep snow.
With the completion of this Udhampur – Katra Section the Kashmir Valley
has reached a step closer to being connected to the remaining Indian Railway
network. The construction of this rail project despite heavy hurdles signifies
the dedication and resolution of Northern Railway in providing rail
connectivity to the farthest corners in its jurisdiction.
No comments:
Post a Comment