| 11 yrs on, rail link set to jump 5th deadline ; With the stretch between New Morinda and Sahnewal in by railgenie on 26 September, 2012 - 06:01 AM | ||
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 railgenie | 11 yrs on, rail link set to jump 5th deadline ; With the stretch between New Morinda and Sahnewal in on 26 September, 2012 - 06:01 AM | |
Chandigarh : Having already missed four deadlines in the past 11 years, the 110-km under-construction Chandigarh-Ludhiana rail link may miss yet another deadline in March next year. At least that appears from the two incomplete railway bridges and two sets of high-tension power lines that need to be shifted.The delay has also shot up the project cost manifold: from Rs 250 crore in 2000 to an estimated Rs 1,100 crore at present. The work on the project was started by the Northern Railways in 2001.Citing non-release of timely funds and operational hurdles as the reason for the delay, railway officials said work was going on a slow pace between New Morinda and Sahnewal.An official in the electrification wing said the main impediment was the delay in shifting of the two power lines, a 66 KV (kilovolt) line that runs through Madpura railway station and a 400 KV line that crosses the track near Morinda-Sirhind road. He said the Railways had already paid the amount needs for shifting the lines to the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB).A spot visit by The Tribune team found that the delay in constructing two bridges and a culvert was hampering the laying of elevated track near Morinda, Madpura, Khumano and a few other points till Sahnewal. Deputy Chief Engineer (Railways) RK Gupta, who is incharge of the New Morinda-Sahnewal stretch, said, "We expect to clear all bottlenecks by December-end."The project has been divided into three phases. The 45-km first phase, from Chandigarh to New Morinda, was completed in 2006. Trains like the Amritsar Duronto and Jan Shatabdi have already been plying on this section. The 14-km third phase, from Sahnewal to Ludhiana, has also been completed. But the 51-km second phase, between New Morinda and Sahnewal, continues to pose a headache to the officials concerned. Sources in the construction wing said Rs 45 crore had been allocated in the last Rail Budget for completing the New Morinda-Sahnewal section, Rs 250 crore more was required to complete the track.On the New Morinda-Khumano-Sahnewal section, the work on erecting poles for electrification of the track is in progress. As the track between Sahnewal and Ludhiana had already been electrified, officials have been awaiting its inspection by the Commissioner of Railway Safety. | ||