Hope for Ferozepur-Patti rail link revives after Ravneet Bittu’s elevation as MoS Railways

Amritsar, June 13

The elevation of Ravneet Singh Bittu as Union Minister of State for Railways in the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre has sparked a debate over the fate of 25.7 km Ferozepur-Patti rail link again. A long awaited railway link between Majha and Malwa region of Punjab, it will open another route to connect the northern region with western states like Gujarat and Maharashtra. The commencement of the rail link will have a positive impact on commercial activities. In the year 2013, the then Union Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal had approved the Ferozepur-Patti rail link but the project remains a distant dream.

With the Railway MoS hailing from Punjab, the belief is that Bittu will pay attention toward this pending railway project.

Naveen Kumar, a resident of Amritsar, said there is no direct railway route between Majha and Malwa region of Punjab and people only have the option of travelling by government and private buses and pay hefty fares. “Private transport firms have a monopoly on this route,” he added.

Harminder Singh, another resident of Amritsar, said, “I travel to Mumbai and if this rail route starts in future, it will surely shorten the distance between Punjab and Mumbai.” “Being a Punjabi, Minister Bittu also knows the importance of this

railway link and I believe that if he makes this project a reality, then it would be a path-breaking effort by him,” he said.

Abhishek Kumar, a resident of Jaipur, said, “The start of Ferozepur-Patti link will cut short the distance between Amritsar and Jaipur.” “Whenever I go to my native place by train, then instead of direct connectivity, the train goes to Ludhiana first, then reaches Ferozepur via Jagraon and Moga and it consumes a lot of time.”

“I am surprised that Punjab is not well connected through railway link even 75 years after Independence,” he added.

Ravi Mahajan, a trader from Amritsar, said, “Everyone knows the importance of the Ferozepur-Patti railway link but the Union government is not taking this project seriously. It was reported that previous Punjab governments had failed to acquire land for the railway link,” he said.

“If this project starts, then traders of Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana and even Rajasthan will prefer this route for trade purposes,” Mahajan said.

‘City-Mumbai travel time to be shorter’

• Harminder Singh, a resident of Amritsar, said, “I travel to Mumbai and if this rail route starts in future, it will surely shorten the distance between Punjab and Mumbai. Being a Punjabi, Minister Bittu also knows the importance of this railway link and I believe that if he makes this project a reality, then it would be a path-breaking effort by him.”
• Abhishek Kumar, a resident of Jaipur, said, “The start of Ferozepur-Patti link will cut short the distance between Amritsar and Jaipur.“Whenever I go to my native place by train, then instead of direct connectivity, the train goes to Ludhiana first, then reaches Ferozepur via Jagraon and Moga and it consumes a lot of time.”