Sarita Jamwal
Udhampur, Sept 9 : Inauguration of much awaited Udhampur-Katra rail line earlier scheduled for September by Prime Minister may be further delayed. According to report from railway sources, ahead of the launch of prestigious Udhampur-Katra rail project, a high level team of senior officers of Railways headed by Railways Board Chairman Vinay Mittal had a detailed survey of Udhampur-Katra track including Tunnel No. 1, the major hurdle in the prestigious project during first week of June this year after which scheduled inauguration on 25th June by Prime minister was delayed , as the technical team, after feasibility and allied tests, have confronted certain technical snags during the final inspection of tracks. Sources added that the work of laying track is in progress and barring the laying of ballast less track on the 3.1 km long T1 tunnel, , all other works in the Katra route were scheduled to be completed before September but continuous rains in the area have further delayed it . The rail link between Udhampur and Katra was scheduled to be completed by 2005. Survey on the 25-km Udhampur-Katra rail project was conducted in 1998 but the actual ground work was started 1999 with the promise that Katra would be connected through rail with the rest of the country by the end of 2005 . The route consists of seven tunnels and 30 small and big bridges, including a 185-feet high tunnel. A total of seven tunnels span over 10 km of the 25 km stretch. Keeping this in mind, the vast area of Katra station has been provided with pilgrim guide tourist assistance, cloak room, waiting hall, VIP lounge, escalators and lifts besides parking space on the either side of the station. Meanwhile railway authorties when contacted refused to comment on it. |
