The Indian government has started an ambitious project in the Himalayan regions of the its territory which is primarily targeted to check the growing interference from the China in the region. The government has already started its surveying of the locations which would be used to link Ladakh to Himachal Pradesh by a railway network. Apart from countering Chinese aggression, the network is viewed as a force to push the much needed developmental boost in the region.
The railway network project will be a rail line of 498 km across this Himalayan region which will be linking Bilaspur, Mandi, Kullu and Lahaul-Spiti districts of Himachal Pradesh to reach Leh, the capital of Ladakh. This Modi government has revealed that the estimate construction cost of this project is at least Rs. 50,000 crore.
Interestingly, the project seems to have already kick started as a report by the India Today says that the government has given the responsibility of location to Rail India Technical and Economic Service (RITES), whom the government has already released amount of Rs. 40 crore from the total amount of Rs. 157 crore allotted for the survey.
“Government wants to strengthen the rail network in areas located close to Tibet.” said the report. “Separately, the government is also planning to connect Leh with Srinagar.”
This project from the Indian government is a matter of great concern to the local communities in the region as the accessibility to the Ladakh regions remain highly inaccessible due to the harsh weather conditions across the region. With such a strong effort from the government, it would greatly ease the hurdle of development in these regions while at the same time India also has an answer to ever growing growing Chinese aggression in the region.
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