Title - Sinha prod for rail link

Hazaribagh : MP Yashwant Sinha today held a meeting of senior railway officials and urged them to ensure that work on the Koderma-Hazaribagh line was completed by December so that passenger trains could ply between the stretch. Deputy general manager K.K Bhargava, who led the team of railway officials, said 70 per cent of the work on laying tracks had been completed. "Construction of a 350m bridge on Telaiya Dam was a major challenge but it has now been completed," he explained, adding that they were encountering a land hiccup at Kandsar village in Katkamsandi, somewhere between Hazaribagh and Koderma. The Koderma-Hazaribagh stretch is part of the ambitious 200-km Ranchi-Hazaribagh-Koderma rail link, work on which started in 1999 after a foundation stone was laid by then prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee. Over the years, project costs escalated to Rs 2,500 crore from Rs 1,033 crore. The deadline for its completion, after several postponements, now stands at 2014. At the meeting, held at circuit house, Sinha asked officials to complete the Koderma-Hazaribagh stretch by December and take action against contractors responsible for the delay. He also sought an update on construction of a new railway station in Hazaribagh. "People want to board trains from here by December. Complete the work by that time," Sinha told the railway officials. "I am in no mood to hear any excuses." Bhargava assured the MP that work on the station was on schedule. He also told Sinha that necessary instructions had been passed on to contractors to ensure there was no further delay. He said the railways was conducting regular reviews, adding that the land problem at Katkamsandi would be sorted out soon.