Indore-Dhar new rail line likely by March 2019.

Indore-Dhar new rail line and Khandwa-Sanawad gauge conversion projects would be completed over by March 2019.

Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan held a meeting with senior officials of Indian railways including General Manager (GM) of Western Railway (WR) GC Agrawal and district collectors of Indore, Dhar and Jhabua at Residency, recently.

During the meeting, they discussed ways to clear hurdles coming in the way of Indore-Dahod new rail line and Dhar-Chhota Udaipur project. The speaker also tried to resolve rifts between officials of railways andthe district collectors, who trade charges of non-cooperation against each other.

Dhar MP Savitri Thakur and Jhabua MP Dilip Singh Bhuria, in whose constituencies both the rain lines would pass attended the important meeting.

Sources said that Mahajan expressed anguish over lackluster attitude of the railway officials. She wanted to know from the railway officials about inordinate delay in two projects despite funds were allocated in the railway budget. Why there is no coordination between the railway officials and district collectors.

She instructed the railway officials to inform her about the projects minutely. While talking to media persons, Mahajan said that there was no issue of land acquisition for the projects in Indore. Land acquisitions for 15-km-long Sagor-Gunawad and 12-km-long Gunawad-Dhar section are being done. Acquisition for the Jhabua-Pitol would be completed by next month. They also discussed on issues of difficulties coming in the construction of tunnels in 30-km-long Fatehpur-Ambarwadi section.

The Lok Sabha Speaker said that she had instructed the railway officials to complete the land acquisition where it was not done and complete the tender process of those sections where land acquisition is already made. She was quite surprised when the officials told her that there is need to build a tunnel between Tehi and Pithampur.

She said that such kind of review meetings should be held in every six months, so that the obstacles in the way of projects could be removed. Our main aim is to make the Indore-Dhar section of Indore-Dahod new rail line project operational by March 2019,” she said.

GM interacts with media: Talking to media persons on the sidelines of the meeting, WR GM Agrawal expressed confidence that the gauge conversion between Khandwa and Sanawad could be achieved by March 2019. He highlighted that this project is a must as the NTPC is commissioning a thermal plant in Kharagone. On Sanawad-Mhow section, he said that alignment of the section is not yet finished.

Earlier, Agrawal conducted inspection of railway station. ZRUCC member Jagmohan Verma demanded increase in passenger amenities.

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