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| Six-time escalation in Kashmir rail link project cost | | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
New Delhi, Nov 17: The cost of the project to provide rail link to Kashmir valley has escalated by over 6 times.
The 294-km-long Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail route was initially estimated to cost Rs 2,500 crores as on March 2001.
However, according to the review report of the Ministry of Statistics and Planning, the cost has been escalated to Rs 16,000 crores as on August 31, 2010, which is 6.4 times of the original cost.
Considered to be the most challenging rail project being undertaken by the railways, the construction of the line is expected to be completed by 2017.
"This is the most difficult terrain involving more than 1,000 major and minor bridges and many tunnels. There are so many factors responsible for the delay and cost escalation," said a senior Railway Ministry official.
Train services were introduced in the Valley for the first time two years back after completion of the 119-km-long Qazigund-Baramulla section, which is part of the Kashmir rail link project.
However, the train service was suspended on the route due to law and order problem, the official said adding the service would resume on return of normalcy. According to railways, the Udhampur-Katra section and anihal-Qazigund section, which are part of the project are expected to be completed by March 2012. |
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