Punjab: The launch of the high-speed Firozpur-Delhi Vande Bharat train, flagged off yesterday by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is expected to improve connectivity in the Malwa region, boosting trade and employment. Gurdaspur, a border constituency in Majha, once encompassing the renowned industrial hubs of Batala and Pathankot, also needs the kind of support the railways have provided to Firozpur. Such connectivity is desperately needed if Majha is to prosper on the manufacturing front. The once-thriving dart factories in Batala and Pathankot have either closed, gone bankrupt, or are on the verge of closure. This is because the railways have shown no interest in connecting industrial points and lines. Many units have converted their premises into marriage palaces! Industrialists have flatly refused to set up factories due to the lack of rail connectivity.
Consider the Qadian-Beas railway link. This 40-kilometer-long section was planned and approved by the British government in 1929. Documents at the Railway Museum in New Delhi reveal that this section was to be constructed by the North-Western Railway. For unknown reasons, work was halted in 1932 after approximately 33 percent of the section had been laid. Sir Zafarullah Khan, a resident of Qadian and later President of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), attempted to see the project through to its logical conclusion. However, Partition forced Khan to pack up and settle in Pakistan, derailing this prestigious project. During his tenure as a Lok Sabha MP, opposition leader and Qadian MLA Pratap Singh Bajwa persuaded then-Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee to complete the project under the category of “socially desirable projects.” The plan was included in the 2010 Railway Budget, but the Planning Commission scuttled it. Mamata Banerjee herself announced the construction of this section in Parliament. Under the “socially desirable plan,” the railways ensure inclusive growth and provide affordable and accessible transportation, regardless of revenue. This track could have provided a much-needed boost to Batala’s ailing industrial units.
Paramjit Singh Gill, a defense products manufacturer, says, “If this track were successful, we could send our finished goods directly to Delhi and other parts of India via Qadian and Beas. Now, we have to send our finished goods to Amritsar, from where they are shipped to Delhi and other states, which increases freight costs.” Gill’s views are echoed by his fellow businessmen. For a long time, Batala businessmen have been demanding that the Amritsar-Batala-Pathankot track be converted into a double-track line instead of the current single-track line. Gill said, “This way, raw materials will reach their destinations twice as fast. Our finished goods can also reach their destinations faster, which will increase our profits manifold.” The railways had already drawn up a blueprint for this project before shelving it. Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Bittu recently announced that the 30-kilometer Gurdaspur-Mukerian railway line would soon be laid. This could also prove beneficial for industrialists. However, the district administration has not yet received any written communication from the railway. With the construction of this line, goods to and from Ambala will be routed via Mukerian, reducing the distance by 92 kilometers. Currently, freight from this region travels via Amritsar. Many industrial houses are on the sidelines, wondering when the railway will improve industrial connectivity. Once this happens, the fortunes of the small towns and cities in the border region will soar. It is time for the railway to reconsider Majha and consider how to better and effectively connect it to Delhi and surrounding cities.
