Speed up rail extension in state: Cong MP

Dehradun: Keeping in mind the importance of Uttarakhand as a tourism and religious destination, Congress Rajya Sabha member Manorama Dobriyal Sharma has strongly backed the need for extension of rail network in the Himalayan state.
In a letter to rail minister Suresh Prabhu, Sharma has requested immediate attention in this regard. She has also expressed hope that all five BJP Lok Sabha MPs from the state will also support her on the issue.
“In the letter, I have mentioned that Uttarakhand is a key tourism destination for people of the country and abroad. At the same time, the state is an important religious destination, and lakhs of tourists and devotees visit Uttarakhand each year,” she told TOI.
Lack of proper rail facilities and delay in extension of rail routes in the state has adversely impacted the tourism sector and economy, claimed the Congress leader.
Nearly 10 surveys on various routes have either been completed or are in process for past several decades. However, the desired results are yet to be achieved. Survey on routes of Saharanpur-Dehradun, Kashipur-Najibabad-Dhampur, Haldwani-Chaurgalia, Haldwani-Reetha Saheb, Piran Kaliyar-Roorkee-Haridwar, Dehradun-Kalsi, Rishikesh-Karnpraya and Tanakpur-Jauljibi route have either been completed or are still in process.
Sharma pointed out that plans were afoot to declare Gairsan as summer capital of Uttarakhand for which it was important that the construction of Ramnagar-Chaukhutiya line was started at the earliest. The route had been approved in the last rail budget.
“Be it the work on Tanakpur-Bageshwar route or Karnaprayag-Rishikesh rail route, all are pending for several years now. Not only tourists but even locals are suffering due to the delay,” she added.
Meanwhile, sources pointed out that the last rail expansion in Uttarakhand was undertaken over 75 years ago when holy town of Rishikesh was brought on rail map in 1939, during the British era.