Govt approves Rs 19,000 cr for valley rail project

The Union Government approved a proposal to sanction over Rs 19,000 crore for the Udhampur-Baramulla rail project. Announced over 17 years ago this project intends to connect the Kashmir Valley with Jammu. However, the delay in the completion of the 290 km railway project has led to cost escalation, necessitating the sanctioning of a larger sum of money.On the other hand, work on the 119 km Qazigund-Baramulla track was completed in 2009. And, it is still underway on Udhampur-Katra and Katra-Qazigund sections, while the deadline for completion of the two sections has been set at 2013 and 2017, respectively.Contact: Union Government of India. E-mail:?indiaportal@gov.inWebsite: www.india.gov.in