Jalandhar January 30:
The Railway Ministry seems to have dropped a proposal to run a Duronto express train between Amritsar and Chandigarh. Presenting the Railway Budget in February last year, Union Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee had proposed to introduce six new Duronto trains in various parts of the country. One such train was to be introduced between Amritsar and Chandigarh.
Duronto trains are special non-stop express trains that run from point-to-point between major cities. However, the proposal in this regard is yet to be materialised. AS Negi, Railway Public Relations Officer, said the train between Amritsar and Chandigarh had not been introduced yet.
When asked will it be introduced before the presentation of the next Railway Budget, he said : “The train may be introduced next month.” The next Railway Budget is due to be presented in the last week of February. Before this, the ministry is supposed to fulfil its commitments made in the earlier Budget. Amritsar MP Navjot Singh Sidhu, who had made Mamata Banerjee to include the proposal in the Railway Budget, said he would be forced to gherao the Rail Bhavan in New Delhi if the train was not introduced before the presentation of the next Railway Budget.
He said the ministry could not run away from its proposal with regard to the train. He said the most unfortunate fact was that Amritsar was not linked to Chandigarh by train. The rail network was the poorest in Punjab and the ministry had never bothered to do justice with the state as far as providing the rail service was concerned, he added. “We will stage a dharna in front of the Rail Bhavan in case the Centre gone back from its commitment made in the Budget to operate a Duronto train between Amritsar and Chandigarh. If need be, we will also gherao the Rail Bhavan,” he said.
The Railway Ministry seems to have dropped a proposal to run a Duronto express train between Amritsar and Chandigarh. Presenting the Railway Budget in February last year, Union Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee had proposed to introduce six new Duronto trains in various parts of the country. One such train was to be introduced between Amritsar and Chandigarh.
Duronto trains are special non-stop express trains that run from point-to-point between major cities. However, the proposal in this regard is yet to be materialised. AS Negi, Railway Public Relations Officer, said the train between Amritsar and Chandigarh had not been introduced yet.
When asked will it be introduced before the presentation of the next Railway Budget, he said : “The train may be introduced next month.” The next Railway Budget is due to be presented in the last week of February. Before this, the ministry is supposed to fulfil its commitments made in the earlier Budget. Amritsar MP Navjot Singh Sidhu, who had made Mamata Banerjee to include the proposal in the Railway Budget, said he would be forced to gherao the Rail Bhavan in New Delhi if the train was not introduced before the presentation of the next Railway Budget.
He said the ministry could not run away from its proposal with regard to the train. He said the most unfortunate fact was that Amritsar was not linked to Chandigarh by train. The rail network was the poorest in Punjab and the ministry had never bothered to do justice with the state as far as providing the rail service was concerned, he added. “We will stage a dharna in front of the Rail Bhavan in case the Centre gone back from its commitment made in the Budget to operate a Duronto train between Amritsar and Chandigarh. If need be, we will also gherao the Rail Bhavan,” he said.
