Close on the heels of his physical inspection and review of the prestigious Rail Project in Jammu and Kashmir recently at Srinagar, Governor, Mr N N Vohra, today urged the Northern Railways for early conduct of the safety inspection on the 11-kilometer track from Budgam to Rajwansheer. With this the 66-kilometer Anantnag-Srinagar-Budgam-Rajwansheer, on the Qazigund-Baramulla sector, would be complete in all respects. The inspection of the 55-kilometer Anantnag-Budgam track has already been conducted.
The Governor discussed the Project with the General Manager, Northern Railways, Mr Sri Prakash, who called on him here this afternoon. The Inspector General, Railway Safety accompanied him during the interaction with the Governor.
Allaying the apprehensions about the change in the alignment on the Jammu side of the track, the General Manager assured that the work on this track will be speeded up to facilitate the early completion of the Project.
Mr Vohra also discussed the status of the work on the Udhampur-Katra and Katra-Qazigund and Qazigund-Baramulla sections of the Project, taken up at a cumulative cost of Rs 11000 crores. For the current financial year, Rs 1000 crores have been earmarked.
The Katra-Qazigund section has a distinction of having the third highest railway bridge in the world over River Chenab at Arnas in Reasi, 350 meters high from the bed level. Another feature of the Qazigund-Baramulla section was the 10.96 kilometer long tunnel from Banihal to Lower Munda on the Pir Panchal Range, considered to be the longest in the world.
The Governor also conducted aerial survey of the 10.96 kilometer long Pir Panchal tunnel from Banihal to Lower Munda, considered to be the longest tunnel on the Indian Railway, and was apprised that 199 kilometer Qazigund-Baramulla section will have 800 bridges.
Mr B B Vyas, Principal Secretary to Governor was also present in the meeting.