Work for Indian Railways Rishikesh- Karnprayag project in full swing! Addressing the gathering of the investors during the Destination Uttarakhand Investors Summit-2018, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal announced that the work on the ambitious Rishikesh – Karnprayag railway project is going on rapidly. Goyal is confident that the first phase connecting Veerbhadra with New Rishikesh would be completed by the year 2020! While addressing the crowd during the Destination Uttarakhand Investors Summit-2018, the Railway Minister informed that the railway project would cost an amount of Rs 44,000 crore and the Narendra Modi-led central government has set aside a sum of Rs 16,200 crore for the same.
According to Piyush Goyal, once the project is complete, it would immensely boost the economic activity in the state of Uttarakhand. He also stated that the national transporter has decided to use 100 per cent electric traction on Rishikesh– Karanprayag route. The Railway Minister said that it will ensure that the engine emits no pollutants while speeding through the picturesque landscape of the state.
The Railway Minister also claimed that the national transporter has raised the budgetary allocation for the mountainous state, Uttarakhand three times over the last four years. While Indian Railways used to spend an amount of Rs 187 crore per year in the state between the years 2009 and 2014, from the year 2015 onwards, this has jumped to an amount of Rs 577 crore, the Railway Minister added.
Other than the ambitious Rishikesh – Karnprayag railway project, Goyal also spoke about connecting the Char Dhams with the railway network. The move is going to be a boon to all pilgrims. The Railway Minister said that at present, Indian Railways is also working on a plan to connect the Char Dhams, namely Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri, all located in Uttarakhand, with railway network.