Bhanupalli-Bilaspur-Beri (63km) New Rail Line project has been sanctioned  on cost sharing basis having 25% share of State Government of Himachal Pradesh and 75 % share of Central Government. Further, full cost of land beyond Rs. 70 crore is to be borne by Government of Himachal Pradesh. Detailed Estimate of the project was sanctioned at a cost of Rs. 6753 crore including land cost of Rs. 1617 crore.

In Himachal Pradesh, 124 Ha of land is required for the execution of the project. Against this requirement, only 82 Ha have been provided by State Government of Himachal Pradesh. Work has been taken up on the available land. Land beyond Bilaspur to Beri is yet to be handed over by Government of Himachal Pradesh. Non-availability of land is adversely affecting the project.

The total expenditure incurred on the project so far is Rs.5,252 crore. As per cost sharing arrangements Rs. 2,711 crore was to be given by Government of Himachal Pradesh. However, they have deposited only Rs. 847 crore as their share of cost. Thus, Rs.1,863 crore is balance with State Government of Himachal Pradesh. Non deposition of their share of cost is adversely affecting the progress of project.

The progress of this project is affected due to non fulfillment of their commitments by State Govt. The support of State Govt is required to expedite the Project.

The Government of India is geared up to execute projects, however success depends upon the support of Government of Himachal Pradesh.

Himachal Pradesh

Budget allocation for Infrastructure projects and safety works, falling fully/ partly in the state of Himachal Pradesh is as under:                                               

Period	Outlay
2009-14	₹108 crore/year
2025-26	₹ 2716 Cr. (More than 25 times)

To improve connectivity in Himachal Pradesh, Nangal Dam - Una - Andaura - Daulatpur Chowk (60 km) section of Nangal Dam - Talwara - Mukerian new line project has been commissioned. Work of Daulatpur Chowk - Kartoli Punjab - Talwara (52 km) section has been taken up.  Further, work of Chandigarh-Baddi New Line (28 Km) have also been taken up at a cost of    Rs. 1540 crore.

Moreover, to improve rail connectivity in Himachal Pradesh, Survey for Baddi-Ghanauli new line (25 Km) has been completed and Detailed Project Report (DPR) has been prepared.

Bilaspur – Manali – Leh new line is identified as strategic line by Ministry of Defence. The survey has been completed and Detailed Project Report has been prepared.  The project passes through difficult terrain of Himalayas, which are full of geological surprises and numerous problems. The total length of the project is 489 Km including tunnels of 270 km length. Anticipated cost of the project as per Detailed Project Report is ₹1,31,000 crore.

Sanction of any railway project depend upon many parameters/factors which include the following:

·         Anticipated traffic projections and Remunerativeness of the proposed route

·         First and last mile connectivity provided by the project

·         Connection of missing links and providing additional route

·         Augmentation of congested/saturated lines

·         Demands raised by State Governments/Central Ministries/Public representatives,

·         Railway’s own operational requirements

·         Socio-economic considerations

·         Overall availability of funds

Completion of Railway project/s depends on various factors which include the following:

·         Land acquisition by State Government

·         Forest clearance

·         Shifting of infringing utilities

·         Statutory clearances from various authorities

·         Geological and topographical conditions of area

·         Law and order situation in the area of project site

·         Number of working months in a year for particular project site etc.

All these factors affect the completion time and cost of the project/s.

This information was provided by the Union Minister for Railways, Information & Broadcasting and Electronics & Information Technology, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, in a reply to a question in Rajya Sabha.

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Dharmendra Tewari/ Dr. Nayan Solanki/ Manik Sharma

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