Qadian-Beas rail project gets Centre nod

The Centre has finally met a long pending demand by including the Qadian-Beas New Line (39.68 km) in the supplementary demand for grants for railways that was introduced on Tuesday during the ongoing winter session of Parliament. An estimate cost of Rs 205 crore has been proposed with the work scheduled to start immediately.

The project was first sanctioned in the pre-independence era during 1928-29 but Partition ensured that it never saw the light of day for over eight decades. At present,Qadian and Beas are connected through a 100-km long circuitous rail route via Amritsar and Batala.

“The Qadian to Beas rail link will provide a direct and shorter route reducing the travel time between the two places separated only by 39 kms. The extension of the railway line from Qadian to Beas,connects the region directly to the main Amritsar – Delhi line and will add greatly to the economic and social development of the area. Being a border district,this it will help the military establishment to a great extent. The line will work as a strategic asset serving the defence forces in case of a military emergency in the border areas of Punjab,” MP from Gurdaspur,Pratap Singh Bajwa said.