Following the inclusion of the Kalka-Shimla railway track in UNESCOs World Heritage list last year,the Ministry of Railways has sent the 80-year-old Kangra Valley rail track between Pathankot and Jogindernagar as a contender for inclusion in the list for 2009. The name of Kangra rail track from Jogindernagar to Pathankot has been forwarded to UNESCOs World Heritage Committee,which is scheduled to meet in Spain in June next,where the first round of short-listing would be held. If the track manages to make it to the shortlist,a delegation of the committee would come and visit the site for a final inspection, said Executive Director (Heritage),Railway Ministry,Rajesh Aggarwal,while speaking to The Indian Express from New Delhi. He said a detailed application dossier as a nomination for the railway track would be sent only after the short-listing in Spain. Beginning at Pathankot in Punjab,the Kangra Valley narrow gauge railway line is stretches over 163 Kilometres along the Dhauladhar mountain range,overlooking the Kangra valley. It travels over 950 bridges and passes through two tunnels to reach Jogindernagar in Mandi district. The track enters Himachal at Kandwal Chakki Pul in Nurpur. Construction of the track started in 1926 for facilitating transportation of heavy machinery and raw material for the 125 MW Shannan hydro power project at Jogindernagar. It was commissioned in April,1929. Last year,the over 100-year-old Kalka-Shimla Railway line became the third railway line in India to get the status.
