Lok Sabha Question No. 1509 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-07-31
Subject: Ongoing Rail Projects in Uttarakhand
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Shri Ajay Bhatt

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1509 TO BE ANSWERED ON 31.07.2024

## ONGOING RAIL PROJECTS IN UTTARAKHAND

†1509 SHRI AJAY BHATT:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of ongoing rail projects in Uttarakhand at present;
- (b) the status of each rail project as on date;
- (c) whether any project is lagging behind from its fixed time period; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof and it not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND

## ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

- (a) to (d) : A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

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STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PARTS  (a)  TO  (d)  OF UNSTARRED  QUESTION  NO.  1509  BY  SHRI  AJAY  BHATT  TO  BE ANSWERED  IN  LOK  SABHA  ON  31.07.2024  REGARDING  ONGOING RAIL PROJECTS IN UTTARAKHAND

(a) to (d): As on 01.04.2024, 3 New Line projects covering total length of  216  Km  costing  ₹25,941  crore,  falling  fully/partly  in  the  State  of Uttarakhand are under different stages of planning/approval/ execution, out of which 6 Km length has been commissioned and an expenditure of ₹15,777 crore has been incurred upto March, 2024.

New  Lines  projects  falling  fully/partly  in  Uttarakhand  are  covered under Northern Railway (NR) and North Eastern Railway (NER) Zones of  Indian  Railways.  Zonal  Railway wise details of projects including their cost, expenditure,  outlay are made available in public domain on Indian Railways website.

In  Uttarakhand,  two  major  ongoing  projects  are  Deoband-Roorkee new  line  (27  km)  and  Rishikesh-Karnaprayag  new  line  (125  km). Deoband-Roorkee  new  line  project  of  27  km  length,  costing  ₹1053 crore  is likely to be completed in this financial year. This project will reduce the distance between Delhi and Dehradun by approx. 40 km. Rishikesh-Karnaprayag  new  rail  line  project  of  125  km,  costing ₹24,659 crore predominantly involves tunnels, in which about 170 km out  of  213  km  tunnelling  has  been  completed.  This  project  will provide rail connectivity to Devprayag and Karnaprayag religious and tourist spots with Rishikesh and National Capital of India.

Since  2014,  there  has  been  substantial  increase  in  fund  allocation and commensurate commissioning of projects across Indian Railways.  Budget  allocation  for  Infrastructure  projects  and  safety works falling fully/partly in the state of Uttarakhand:-

| Period   | Average Outlay   | %age more as compared to average allocation during 2009-14   |
|----------|------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2009-14  | ₹187Cr./Yr       | -                                                            |
| 2023-24  | ₹5004 Cr.        | More than 26.75 times                                        |
| 2024-25  | ₹5131 Cr.        | More than 27 times                                           |

The completion of any Railway project(s) depends on various factors like quick land acquisition by State Government, forest clearance by officials  of  forest  department,  deposition  of  cost  share  by  State Government in cost sharing projects, priority of projects, shifting of infringing  utilities,  statutory  clearances  from  various  authorities, geological  and  topographical  conditions  of  area,  law  and  order situation in the area of project(s) site, number of working months  in a year for particular project site due to climatic conditions etc. and all these factors affect  the  completion time and  cost of the project(s).

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