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| This Saturday, see rare history in making | | TRAIN IN KASHMIR | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Oct 8: This Saturday when Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh boards a train from Nowgam for a small distance to Badgam, a new chapter will go into the history of Indian railways. Valley will see first train chugging across but connecting Kashmir by rail with rest of the country still remains a dream.
An aesthetic and comfort marvel of Indian Railways, the Kashmir Valley is all set to have one of the most beautiful and comfortable trains of country chugging between its northern most part –Baramulla and the southern most township of Qazigund. Though the inaugural run is over a small distance as the complete rail line is not yet ready.
However, the dream of integrating Kashmir with rest of India by train is getting elusive by the day even as authorities are making a discreet silence on imminent delay on the project.
Rail link within and to Kashmir Valley has two phases –one which connects Valley within and the other connects Valley with rest of country. Valley's internal rail line is a 199 Kilometer track between Qazigund and Baramulla. The construction work on this section having 800 bridges is 95 per cent complete and Rs 2200 Crores out of the estimated prost cost of Rs 2400 Crores have already been spent. An air-conditioned, eight coach diesel multiple unit with push back seats will chug on this track which has 15 stations on the way with the central Srinagar-Nowgam station being architecturally and aesthetically, the most beautiful station in the Indian Railways.
However, the line linking Kashmir with rest of the country –the 148 kilometer Katra-Qazigund track –is appearing to be an elusive project yet. The special feature of this section is that 80 per cent of the 148 kilometer track will be covered by tunnels and 12 per cent by bridges, thus leaving only 8 per cent open. This section was supposed to have world's third highest railway bridge but recent reports of change in alignment have sparked off doubts which the authorities are yet to clarify.
As a part of Jammu-Udhampur-Baramulla rail link the world's third highest railway bridge was coming up over River Chenab in village Kauri in the newly created Reasi district. After spending more than Rs 100 Crores and risking the claims of an international construction consortium running beyond Rs 200 Crores, the government is reported to have cancelled the project after belatedly learning about its unfeasibility.
After global tendering the Konkan Railways had in 2004 allotted the construction work of this project to Ultra-Afcons-VSL, an international construction consortium. The bridge on river Chenab was supposed to have a total length of 1320 metres, the single longest arch span of 480 metres and the height from the bed level to the rail level of 359 metres –highest anywhere in the world.
At an estimated cost of Rs 500 Crores, the Kauri bridge was to be completed in a period of 30 months which, however, had elapsed early last year. The construction work on the bridge had picked up only earlier this year but now the report has come about cancellation of the project.
In a letter dated September 4, the railway board announced "all existing contracts" with Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL) for a 34-km stretch of the railway link between Jammu and Kashmir, which includes the construction of the Chenab mega arch bridge, have been "short closed" (meaning, terminated before completion of work).?
As a corollary, the board's decision puts a stop to the sub-contract signed by KRCL in 2004 with the international consortium, Ultra-Afcons-VSL, to design and build the Chenab bridge within 30 months. Though the stipulated period for the execution of the project lapsed last year, the consortium is yet to build even the foundation in the mountain slope on either side of the river as Northern Railways, in view of the treacherous geological conditions, could not clear any of its plans for the bridge.?
In a tacit reference to the claims of Rs 300 crore submitted by the consortium for the manpower and machinery idling at the site, the board said, "A proper record of material, unfinished work abandoned at the site shall be kept for examining legitimate claims."?
The decision to scrap the bridge was taken by the board's member (engineering) S K Vij as a sequel to an order passed by him on July 14 suspending all works on the existing alignment of the entire 125 km track between Katra and Banihal skirting the mountains at altitudes ranging from 800 to 1,700 metres.
This has sparked off doubts as authorities are not officially clarifying the proposed change in alignment. The only word which we have about the impact of this design change is from a meeting which J&K Governor NN Vohra had with the official of Northern Railways in New Delhi on September 16. Briefing about the meeting, an official spokesman of J&K government said that despite change in alignment on Jammu side of the Udhampur-Katra-Qazigund rail line, the Northern Railway has assured Governor NN Vohra that the completion of the railway link will not be delayed beyond the stipulated time.
“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”, said the spokesman.
POINTS TO NOTE
The railway project in the State comprises three sections- Udhampur-Katra, Katra-Qazigund and Qazigund-Baramulla, taken up at a cumulative cost of Rs 11000 crores. Qazigund-Baramulla section will employ 3900 persons; additional 400 being employed against land compensation. The construction work on this section having 800 bridges is 95 per cent complete and Rs 2200 Crores out of the estimated prost cost of Rs 2400 Crores have already been spent. An air-conditioned, eight coach diesel multiple unit with push back seats will chug on this track which has 15 stations on the way with the central Srinagar-Nowgam station being architecturally and aesthetically, the most beautiful station in the Indian Railways. |
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