Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 8 Sep: A coordination meeting was held on Monday at the Secretariat under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan with DRM, Moradabad, Sangrah Maurya. During the meeting, discussions were held on various issues between the state government and the railway authorities.
The Chief Secretary directed that a joint survey by the teams of Rajaji National Park, Railways, and DFO be conducted at the earliest for the Rishikesh-Doiwala railway bypass. He also ordered initiation of the process for wildlife clearance and forest clearance. He further directed that a joint team of the Railways, Forest, and Revenue departments complete the survey for the expansion work of Harrawala Railway Station to expedite the process.
The Chief Secretary emphasised that it is essential to complete the double-laning of the Haridwar-Dehradun railway line before Maha Kumbh 2033. He asked that the process be started for wildlife clearance and forest clearance for this project as well. He urged the Railways to prepare and submit a traffic management circulation plan for the Kumbh Mela at the earliest. He suggested including Rishikesh and Haridwar railway stations in the facelift of railway stations.
The Chief Secretary proposed that the Railways nominate a Mela Officer for coordination in meetings related to Kumbh 2027. The Railways should also be represented in the upcoming meetings regarding Kumbh preparations. He emphasised establishing a mechanism for the exchange of information between the Railways and the Uttarakhand Government.
The Chief Secretary sought the preparation of a mobility plan for the entire state, considering all modes of transport and options for the next 50 years.
DRM Sangrah Maurya informed him that the preliminary survey for the Dehradun-Mussoorie railway project has been completed, and the final location survey would commence soon. He added that the final location survey for the Saharanpur-Dehradun project is underway. He also mentioned that the DPR for Harrawala Railway Station has been approved, and final approval is awaited.
On this occasion, Principal Secretary R Meenakshi Sundaram, Secretaries Brijesh Kumar Sant, C Ravishankar, Resident Commissioner Ajay Mishra, Vice Chairman, MDDA, and Director General, Information, Banshidhar Tiwari, along with other senior officials, were also present.
