Seeking end to 100-year wait, residents want Qadian-Beas rail link completed

Ravi Dhaliwal

Gurdaspur, July 5

Sometimes the light at the end of the tunnel is from a train. But not in this case as the 40 km Qadian-Beas rail link remains incomplete, despite the fact that the British began construction nearly a century ago.

Public benefit initiatives in India are frequently delayed by months, if not years. But this one takes the cake. The British government had approved the initiative in 1928 and had even begun work on it. However, petty politicking remains the villain of the story, derailing the project multiple times.

Residents and industrialists in Batala are now counting on Gurdaspur MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and MoS for Railways Ravneet Bittu to take up the cause on their behalf. Batala-based businesspersons claim that if the initiative is successful, their operational costs will be significantly reduced.

In 2010, Gurdaspur MP Partap Singh Bajwa, who was reportedly close to Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee, pursued the issue with her ministry. He had to deal with a number of roadblocks but was successful in clearing them all. As a result, the ministry finally approved the project under the category of ‘socially beneficial initiatives’. The project cost was originally estimated at Rs 205.22 crore, but has risen to Rs 840 crore.

It is alleged that a local SAD minister, anticipating Bajwa would receive the credit, ‘ruined’ the endeavour by organising protests on the plea that farmers were not receiving appropriate compensation for the land being acquired. The government planned to take over about 150 hectares.

Despite the protests, Bajwa had a team from the Railways undertake the mandatory survey, often known as the ‘final site survey’. Everything was progressing well, and the enterprise was scheduled to be completed by 2024. However, the minister allegedly continued to play spoilsport, inciting farmers to conduct rallies despite the fact that a survey of a 4.5-km area had already been completed.

The Railways eventually put the project in cold storage. The project would prove strategically vital since Qadian is the international headquarters of the Ahmadiyya community, and Beas is the seat of the Radha Soami sect. The local economy will undoubtedly benefit. Businesspersons believe the track has the ability to revitalise Batala’s struggling industry.

At this, MP Sukhjinder Randhawa said he would speak to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw soon.