Good News for Punjabis: Qadian-Beas Railway Link Also Approved.
The Railways has made the decision to resume construction on the long-delayed 40-kilometer train link between Qadian and Beas. Ravneet Singh Bittu, the Union Minister of State for Railways, has instructed officials to “defreeze” the project. This project was previously classified as “frozen” because of difficulties with alignment, difficulties acquiring land, and political issues in the area.
In railway jargon, “freezing” a project refers to putting it on hold because advancement is not feasible for a variety of reasons. “Defreezing” refers to resuming work on the project once all challenges have been resolved.
According to Bittu, there is no lack of funding for railway projects in Punjab, as indicated by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Railway Minister Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw Ji. “I am always working on new projects, finishing up unfinished ones, and restarting ones that were put on hold for unanticipated reasons. I saw the significance of this line—Mohali-Rajpura, Ferozepur-Patti, and now Qadian-Beas.”
“That is why I have instructed officials to remove all hurdles and resume construction work,” he stated. “This new rail line will provide a significant boost to the struggling industrial units of Batala, often called the ‘Steel City’ of the region.”
According to a letter from Northern Railway’s Chief Administrative Officer (Construction), “The Railway Board desires that the Qadian-Beas line should be defrozen and the detailed estimate resubmitted and sanctioned quickly so that construction work can commence.” The North-Western Railway was officially approved by the British government in 1929, marking the beginning of the project’s lengthy history. Nearly one-third of the project was finished by 1932, but it was suddenly put on hold.
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