Chandigarh, January 7: While giving a New Year gift to the people of Haryana which will prove to be a milestone in the industrial and economic progress of the State by providing faster and reliable means of freight transportation, Prime Minister, Mr Narendra Modi today inaugurated 306 kms section of Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) from Rewari to Madar through video conferencing. The Western DFC covers a distance of 1504 km of double line electric track from Dadri (Uttar Pradesh) to Mumbai via Rewari-Ajmer-Ahmedabad-
Union Railway Minister, Mr Piyush Goyal, Rajasthan Governor Mr Kalraj Mishra, Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Manohar Lal, Rajasthan Chief Minister, Mr Ashok Gehlot , Deputy Chief Minister, Haryana Mr Dushyant Chautala, Union Ministers and Ambassador of Japan to India, Mr Satoshi Suzuki also joined the programme through video conference.
On this occasion, Mr Narendra Modi also flagged off world’s first double-stack long haul (1.5km) goods trains from New Ateli Station (Haryana) and new Kishangarh station (Rajasthan). Chief Minister, Mr Manohar Lal and Deputy Chief Minister, Mr Dushyant Chautala simultaneously flagged off the train at New Ateli Station through video conferencing.
Extending New Year wishes to the people of the country, Prime Minister, Mr Narendra Modi said that with the inauguration of 306 kms section of Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) from Rewari to Madar, a new chapter has been added into Centre Government’s drive to develop modern infrastructure in the country. He said that recently with the use of digital infrastructure, a huge amount of Rs 18,000 crore has been transferred in the bank accounts of farmers. Apart from this, inauguration and laying stone of a large number of infrastructure projects in the last few days is a clear indication that the coming period of 2021 is going to be more prosperous for the country.
He said that a few days earlier, India has also developed two Covid-19 Vaccines which has infused a new sense of confidence among the people that India is fast moving towards ‘Atmanirbharta’.
Mr Modi said that the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) project is being seen as a game changer for the country. He said that after five to six years of hard work, this project has finally become a reality today. Earlier the speed of goods trains on various routes in the country was just 25 kms per hour but now these trains have started running 3 times faster as compared to earlier. He said that India too needs this speed of progress.
The Prime Minister said that today two long haul double-stack (1.5km) goods trains from New Ateli Station (Haryana) and new Kishangarh station (Rajasthan) have been started which is a major achievement. He said that the day today is significant in many ways as the Corridor would create new opportunities for all sections of the society including the farmers, entrepreneurs, traders of Haryana and Rajasthan. He said that this Corridor would not only make agriculture and allied businesses in both the States easier but would also give a major boost to the industrial sector as it would provide them direct access to the national and international market. He said that the DFC project would give further momentum to the growth engine of the country and also create ample employment opportunities.
The Prime Minister said that on one hand all necessary facilities like housing, drinking water, electricity, gas, toilets, internet facilities etc are being made available to the citizens of the country while on the other hand, the industrial sector is also being facilitated. He said that keeping in view the global market demand, roadways, railways, airways and waterways connectivity is being further strengthened in the country. He said that the amount which has been spent on the widening and electrification of railways in the last six years in the country has never been spent earlier.
Speaking on this occasion, Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Manohar Lal thanked Prime Minister, Mr Narendra Modi for dedicating to the Nation, 306 kms section of Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) from Rewari to Madar. He said that this day of the first week of the New Year is very important not only for Haryana but for the whole country as one section of the dream project of Railways giving speed to the economy of the country has started today. Earlier, in the last week of the previous year, the Prime Minister had inaugurated the Bhaupur-Khurja section of Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor.
He said that the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor is 1504 km long, of which 177 km passes through Haryana. He said that when this Corridor passing through the states of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra upto Mumbai would be completed, the industrial and agricultural products of Haryana would have direct access to the port. Thus, this corridor would create new export potential from Haryana and would prove to be a milestone in the economic development of the state.
Mr Manohar Lal said that the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor would benefit the automobile, IT, textile, engineering, electronics, chemical and pharmaceutical industries of Gurugram and Faridabad. Similarly, it would open new areas of export for the footwear and cement industries of Jhajjar, auto mobile parts of Sonepat, agro and food processing industries and textile of Panipat, plywood of Yamunanagar, scientific equipment of Ambala, agro and food of Sirsa, iron and steel industries of Hisar, paddy producers, footwear and agricultural equipment industries of Karnal.
He said that during the last six years, the Prime Minister has given several gifts to the people of Haryana. These included Rail Coach Repair Factory, Kundli-Manesar–Palwal (KMP) Expressway, Kundli- Ghaziabad-Palwal (KGP) Expressway, Ballabhgarh-Mujesar, Mundka- Bahadurgarh, Gurugram-Sikanderpur, Faridabad-Ballabhgarh Metro Link, country’s first elevated railway track in Rohtak and Rohtak-Meham-Hansi railway line.
The Chief Minister also thanked the Prime Minister for approving a similar project "Haryana Orbital Rail Corridor". He said that the project connects the entire National Capital Region to the Dedicated Freight Corridor. It would provide high-speed and high-capacity seamless connectivity to Western and Eastern ports of India to the economic centers of the NCR and also encourage exports by reducing travel time and costs. He said that this project from Palwal to Sonepat is being developed with the joint partnership of the Haryana Government and Ministry of Railways at an estimated cost of Rs 5618 crores. The project is expected to be completed by 2025, he added.
Mr Manohar Lal said that a joint venture company, Haryana Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation (HRIDC) has been set up by the Haryana Government in collaboration with the Ministry of Railways to increase rail infrastructure and rail connectivity in the state. He said that the company is working on several other rail projects besides the Haryana Orbital Rail Corridor. These include elevated track on Kurukshetra-Narwana railway line, Karnal-Yamunanagar new railway line, elevated railway line in Kaithal and Jind-Hansi new railway line .
On this occasion, the Chief Minister also thanked Prime Minister, Mr Narendra Modi and Railway Minister, Mr Piyush Goyal for approving the elevated railway track in Rohtak at a cost of Rs 315 crore and in Kurukshetra at a cost of Rs 225 crore. He said that Rohtak's project would be completed in the month of January 2021 while the work on Kurukshetra project would be started.
Earlier, in his welcome address, Railway Minister, Mr Piyush Goyal said that under the leadership of Prime Minister, Mr Narendra Modi, Railways have made tremendous progress in the country. He said that the inauguration of 306 kms section of Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) from Rewari to Madar and flagging off of two long haul (1.5km) goods trains would prove to be a milestone in the growth story of the country.
Among those present on this occasion here at Chandigarh included Chief Secretary, Mr Vijai Vardhan, Chief Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Mr D.S Dhesi, Additional Chief Secretary, Public Works (Building and Roads) Mr Alok Nigam, Additional Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Mr Amit Kumar Agrawal and Deputy Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Mrs Ashima Brar.