Uttarakhand CM reviews rail projects, orders escape tunnels for emergency evacuation

DEhradun: Uttarakhand chief government minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on wed reviewed the advance of under-construction and proposed rail in projects in the tell and directed officials to build escape tunnels alongside railway lines to serve as parallel evacuation routes in emergencies.The chief minister, who chaired a review meeting at the Secretariat, said that escape tunnels must be constructed for railway safety and can also serve as alternative road links in the future.He also directed officials to prepare a long-term utilisation plan for the escape tunnels under the Rishikesh–Karnprayag rail line project and explore the possibility of extending the rail line from Karnprayag to Bageshwar.Dhami instructed officials to expedite work on the Tanakpur–Bageshwar rail line project and called for serious consideration of alternative alignments. He asked officials to explore the feasibility of connecting the Almora and Someshwar regions so that a larger population can benefit from the project.The chief minister said the Central government should be approached to declare the Tanakpur–Bageshwar rail line a national project, which would help fast-track its construction.Officials were also asked to prepare an integrated development plan for the proposed railway stations under the Rishikesh–Karnprayag project. They were directed to make special arrangements at all under-construction stations for the sale of self-help group (SHG) products and local produce, and to promote self-employment opportunities, homestays and public welfare schemes in areas surrounding the stations.They were also asked to prepare a comprehensive roadmap for the development of villages, towns, religious sites and tourist destinations located along the railway corridors, along with appropriate redevelopment of station areas to manage future tourist inflow.Officials informed the meeting that 72.5% of work under the Rishikesh–Karnprayag rail line project has been completed, while 95.30% of tunnel construction has been finished.A total of 28 tunnels have been constructed under the project, including 16 main tunnels and 12 escape tunnels.Officials said several proposed railway stations are being developed on local themes, including Shivpuri (Neelkanth Mahadev), Byasi (Maharishi Ved Vyas), Devprayag (Samudra Manthan), Janasu (Uttarakhand culture), Maletha (Veer Madho Singh Bhandari), Srinagar (Maa Raj Rajeshwari Devi), Dhari Devi (Maa Dhari Devi), Tilni (Kedarnath), Gholtir (Panch Mahadev), Gauchar (Bal Govind Krishna) and Karnprayag (Badrinath Temple and Radha-Krishna).Regarding the Tanakpur–Bageshwar rail line project, officials said the Railways has proposed three survey options, while work is underway on alternative routes and connectivity plans for Almora and Someshwar.