PTI
Guwahati/New Delhi
Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday said plans are afoot to lay underground railway tracks along a 40-km strategic corridor in West Bengal, connecting the North-East with the rest of India.
The strategic corridor, called the ‘Chicken’s Neck’ for its shape, is a strip of land located in northern West Bengal’s Siliguri area, having a width of over 20 km. The strip is sandwiched between Nepal and Bangladesh, with Bhutan and China a few hundred kilometres away.
Addressing reporters through video conference on the Union Budget allocation for the Railway Ministry, Vaishnaw said, “There is special planning for the 40-km strategic corridor connecting the North-East with the rest of the country.”
“Planning is underway to lay underground railway tracks, and also make the existing tracks four-line,” he said.
Sharing details, Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) general manager Chetan Kumar Shrivastava and chief administrative officer (construction) Hitendra Goyal said the underground lines will be between Tin Mile Haat and Rangapani railway stations in West Bengal.
“This underground stretch is important from a security point of view,” Shrivastava said.
One of the lines will go towards Bagdogra in West Bengal, which is vital for the air defence mechanism of the country.
Shrivastava said the tracks will be laid around 20-24 metres underground over a plain area. Goyal added that along with the underground tracks, the existing double line on the stretch will be converted into a four-line one.
The Railway Minister said record allocations have been made for his ministry in the Budget to complete pending projects and undertake new works in all states for people’s benefit.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday announced budgetary support of Rs 2.78 lakh crore and a total capital expenditure of Rs 2.93 lakh crore for the Railways.
Providing reporters with a state-wise breakup of expenses earmarked for railway projects from the total capital expenditure outlay, Vaishnaw noted that Uttar Pradesh will receive Rs 20,012 crore, Rajasthan Rs 10,228 crore, Madhya Pradesh Rs 15,188 crore, Chhattisgarh Rs 7,470 crore, and Maharashtra Rs 24,000 crore.
He also mentioned allocation figures for several other states and ongoing projects to state that these amounts are several times higher than those made 10 years ago during the Congress rule.
“We had promised projects worth Rs 1 lakh crore in Uttar Pradesh. Now, projects worth Rs 92,000 crore are underway in the state,” Vaishnaw said.
He mentioned the seven bullet train projects and one dedicated freight corridor announced in the Budget and said these would benefit multiple states.
About the proposed Delhi-Varanasi and Varanasi-Siliguri high-speed corridors, he said these bullet train routes would connect major cities of Uttar Pradesh and create several economic opportunities.
“Under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, 157 stations are being redeveloped, and four pairs of Amrit Bharat trains have been made operational so far,” the railway minister said.
Similarly, 85 stations in Rajasthan are at various stages of redevelopment, and several new trains have been introduced for the benefit of the state’s residents, he added.
