Decks cleared for rail link between Baddi, Chandigarh

SOLAN: All decks have been cleared to provide rail connectivity to the states industrial hub of Baddi with land owners today giving their consent to acquire their land at nearly four times the prevailing circle rates

Updated At : 06:20 AM Jul 16, 2016 IST

Ambika Sharma

Tribune News Service

Solan, July 15

All decks have been cleared to provide rail connectivity to the state’s industrial hub of Baddi with land owners today giving their consent to acquire their land at nearly four times the prevailing circle rates.

The decision was arrived at a meeting of the negotiation committee held today at Baddi under the chairmanship of the Nalagarh SDM. The 33-km rail line connecting Baddi-Chandigarh has been hanging fire since the last over a year due to non-finalisation of rates for land acquisition in the 3-km portion lying in Himachal. Though the Railways had deposited Rs 45 crore for land acquisition, since there was no consensus on the rate of land, it had delayed the process of carving out this rail line.

Though only 3-km track of the proposed rail line lies in Himachal, it involves 367 bighas of land spread across nine villages. The survey for this route has already been completed and as per the route carved out, the rail track will be laid through Surajpur Chandi-Dhamal near HMT at Pinjore-Lohgarh-Khera-Tanda-Joluwaal-Kona-Marrawala and it will finally touch Shitalpur in Baddi abutting the Container Corporation of India’s depot and will further lead to Haripur-Sandholi. Two railway crossings would be provided at Nanakpur and Baddi. The highest circle rate of land in question was Rs 34.80 lakh. In Baddi-Shitalpur, Swarajmajra -Labana, Chak Jungi and Kalyanpur, the existing circle rate was Rs 21 lakh per bigha while it was Rs 7. 20 per bigha for Landewaal village, Rs 28.80 per bigha for Billanwala Gujra village, Rs 21 lakh per bigha for Haripur Sandholi and Sandholi village, Rs 18 lakh per bigha for Kenduwaal village.

SDM Harikesh Meena said since the circle rate of Kenduwaal village was found to be less, it would be revised after taking into consideration the rates of the adjoining villages and the same would be notified soon. He said a consensus had been arrived at for the remaining villages.

The railways have already deposited Rs 45 crore for acquiring land and a similar amount will soon be made available by the state government as per the agreement.

The meeting was attended by the officials from the Railways, revenue, local MLA and affected land owners.