RailEnquiry

Chandigarh : As the Northern Railway is struggling to meet the March 3012 deadline to complete the 110 km link between Chandigarh and Ludhiana, repeated theft of overhead copper power cables on the section is giving the authorities sleepless nights.Even as electrification of the track between New Morinda and Sahnewal is in progress, at least two thefts, one of the expensive copper wire and the other of the material used in erecting the power traction lines, have been reported. The loss in the two incidents is estimated to be over Rs 3 lakh. Sources say several other incidents of theft of construction material used to lay the track have gone unreported.Contractors engaged in the task of laying the track and electrification say no Railway Protection Force (RPF) officials have been deployed at the under-construction section. Despite several reminders to senior police officials, they say no effort has been made to nab the thieves.Sources say two days ago, a copper cable measuring 150 was stolen between the Khumano and Manmda section. Another theft was reported at Ucha Pind near Morinda. In both the cases, no FIR has been lodged. Executive Engineer RC Shamir said the Divisional Railway Manager (DRM), Ambala Division, had been approached for deployment of RPF on the section.“It has been over 11 years since the construction of the rail link began. The Northern Railway has already missed four deadlines. The estimated cost of the project has risen from Rs 250 crore in 2,000 to around Rs 1,100 crore. Such thefts further add to the expenditure”, said an official.Even if a part of the copper cable is stolen, the entire length of the cable laid between two poles has to be replaced.The high-grade copper fetches a good price and, hence, attracts thieves.