Dhumal seeks due share in railway network expansion

Dharamshala, Feb 21 (UNI) Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal today urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Finance Minister P Chidambaram and Railway Minister Lalu Prasad to provide the State its due share in railway network expansion.

Talking to media persons here, he said during the Prime Minister's visit to the state in 2005, he had announced completion of the Nangal-Talwara railway line by year 2008 that was yet to be completed.

Mr Dhumal said similarly no budgetary provision had been made for the construction of the Bhanupalli-Bilaspur-Beri broad gauge railway line.

The promise of construction of a railway line connecting industrial area of Baddi-Barotiwala with Chandigarh had not yet been started, depriving the industrialists of cheap transportation of their raw material and finished products to the markets, he said.

''I have time and again urged the Centre to made adequate budgetary provisions for the construction of the ongoing railway lines while taking up of the new lines,'' he said.

The Chief Minister said he has also requested the Prime Minister to extend the Bhanupalli-Bilaspur-Beri railway line to Mandi and connect the same with the Pathankot-Jogindernagar railway line.

UNI XC AS VKJ GT RK2001