Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday inaugurated 306 kms section of Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) from Rewari in Haryana to Madar through video conferencing, which is expected to boost the industrial and economic progress of Haryana by providing faster and reliable means of freight transportation.
The Western DFC covers a distance of 1504 km of double line electric track from Dadri (Uttar Pradesh) to Mumbai via Rewari-Ajmer-Ahmedabad-Vadodara, out of which about 177 km length is passing through Haryana.
Union Railway Minister, Piyush Goyal, Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra, Haryana Chief Minister, Manohar Lal Khattar, Rajasthan Chief Minister, Ashok Gehlot, amongst others also joined the programme through video conference.
On this occasion, 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 Manohar Lal Khattar and Deputy Chief Minister, Dushyant Chautala simultaneously flagged off the train at New Ateli Station through video conferencing.
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 the Centre Government’s drive to develop modern infrastructure in the country. He said that the DFC project is being seen as a game changer for the country, adding that after five to six years of hard work, this project has finally become a reality. 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 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.
Speaking on this occasion, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar thanked the Prime Minister for dedicating the Nation, 306 kms section of 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.
Earlier, in the last week of the previous year, the Prime Minister had inaugurated the Bhaupur-Khurja section of Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor.
Khattar said the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor is 1504 km long, of which 177 km passes through Haryana, adding 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.
The Chief Minister 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.
Khattar 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 - Ballabgarh Metro Link, country’s first elevated railway track in Rohtak and Rohtak-Meham-Hansi railway line.
He 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.
Khattar said 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 .
Among those present on this occasion at Chandigarh included Chief Secretary, Vijai Vardhan, Chief Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, D.S Dhesi, Additional Chief Secretary, Public Works (Building and Roads) Alok Nigam, Additional Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Amit Kumar Agrawal and Deputy Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Ashima Brar.
