 Early Times Report
MATHURA, July 18: Mathura MP Hema Malini rejected the charges laid against her by protesters opposing the building of a road on the existing Mathura-Vrindavan railway track.
She told PTI in a statement that in 2016, the Railway decided to do a gauge conversion from meter gauge line to broad gauge, citing the costly repair of the Rail Bus as the reason, halting running of Rail Bus between Vrindaban and Mathura.
In between, a plan to introduce a high-speed rail was proposed, but seeing a possible delay in the project, Hema Malini convinced officials to rerun the rail bus for the time being, and it was flagged off in 2019.
In 2022 -23, Railway decided to do a conversion with the cost of 450 crores by elevating the level of track and putting a wall on both sides of the track, Hema Malini said. "The proposal was opposed by locals, fearing it would divide the city into two parts, " she added.
A meeting with the Railway officials and administration was later initiated by Hema Malini, so that people may register their objections. "Many put their views in the meeting," Hema Malini said.
She said that in the meantime, a project to build a road followed by a Metro in the future on pillars in between the two sections proposed by the State government was rejected due to financial feasibility.
Mathura MP said a proposal to build a road was then initiated by the state government, and permission was sought from the Railway Ministry. The matter is still under consideration.
"I left Mumbai to serve the people of Mathura. My priority is to improve the infrastructure and conditions of the city," Hema Malini said. If someone has issues, they can freely discuss them with me. She added.
A rally was taken out by locals demanding the restoration of Mathura Mathura-Vrindavan railway line yesterday.
The protesters were shouting slogans against Mathura MP Hema Malini.
Local Deepak Parashar said, "The government has stopped the train, which was a gift from the Maharaja of Jaipur,". He said we will oppose this move to destroy the heritage of Vrindaban.
He blames MP and the administration for halting the Mathura-Vrindavan Railway line.
"We want our railway back," Neelam Goswami said.
The rally was also attended by Phooldol Maharaj of Chatur Sampraday. |
