Estimates revised as delay, complications lead to cost escalation JAMMU: As delay in completion of the project due to re-alignment and other complications besides problems in two vital tunnels has led to cost escalation, the entire Udhampur-Baramulla Railway Project would now be completed at a cost of ` 19,000 crore and Union Cabinet today approved a proposal to sanction this amount for the project. The ambitious project, which will have revolutionary impact on the economy of the State, was announced over 17 years back but serious progress was made only after it was declared National Project in 2002. Earlier, the scheduled date of completion of the project was August 15, 2007 but due to several complications including re-alignment of stretch between Katra-Banihal, the completion date kept on stretching year after year and presently it is targeted to be completed in all respects by 2017. Official sources said that Union Cabinet has given approval to the proposal of sanctioning ` 19,000 crore for the completion of the entire Udhampur-Baramulla railway project, which is aimed at connecting Kashmir valley with rest of the country by train. Disclosing that project was earlier estimated to be completed at a cost of ` 8,000 crore, sources said that revised estimates of ` 19,000 crore include the cost of all the tunnels including longest railway tunnel between Qazigund and Katra and world’s highest railway project on river Chenab at Kauri in Reasi district. "Earlier, there were only rough estimates but now the estimates of ` 19,000 are authentic as the same have been prepared keeping in view all the aspects of the project", sources said, adding "if the project is completed within latest deadline then there would be no need for further major revision in the estimates". The work on 119-kilometers Qazigund-Baramulla track was completed in 2009 while as the same is still underway for Udhampur-Katra and Katra-Qazigund sections. Barring highest railway bridge on river Chenab, the work is presently under progress on major portion of the Katra-Qazigund section including 11 kilometer long tunnel between Qazigund-Banihal underneath the rugged Pir Panjal mountains, sources said, adding the excavation of country’s longest railway tunnel was completed on October 14 last year and presently concreting and drainage works are in progress despite huge snowfall on both ends of the tunnel. The tunnel runs below the existing Jawahar road tunnel and will reduce the traveling distance between Banihal and Qazigund from 35 kilometers to only 11 kilometers. Moreover, it will remain open even during snowfall when the road tunnel gets blocked from both sides. Keeping in view the present pace of work, the Qazigund-Banihal section would be ready for chugging of trains by the end of current year, sources said while disclosing that work on two problematic tunnels between Udhampur and Katra was also going on and the section is likely to be ready by the end of next year. "Though the work on some portions of Banihal-Katra section including excavation of tunnels is going on yet this section is likely to be ready by 2017 only because of the daunting task of constructing world’s highest railway bridge on river Chenab at Kauri", sources said while disclosing that Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) has already cleared the blast load of the bridge, which was necessary for preparation of drawings of the bridge. It is pertinent to mention here that Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh had dedicated the first phase of the project between Jammu and Udhampur to the nation in April 2005 while as the 119-kilometer long Qazigund-Baramulla stretch was commissioned in 2009. As Jammu and Kashmir fall in Seismic Zone IV and V, the services of experts from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Roorkie, Central Mining Research Institute (CMRI) and Geological Survey of India (GSI) are being taken in the design and construction of bridges and tunnels on Katra-Qazigund Railway Line to make them strong enough to resist tremors. "The experts of these institutes are analyzing 100 years seismic data taken from seismic graph and accordingly making necessary recommendations to the Northern Railways for the construction of tunnels and bridges on Katra-Qazigund railway line, which is considered as most difficult section of the project", sources said while disclosing that out of total 129 kilometers length of the railway line, 103 kilometers will be in tunnels and 7 kilometers on bridges. Stating that strength, size, shape and thickness of the tunnels is being decided only on the basis of recommendations of the experts, sources said, "it is due to the fact that railway line falls in Seismic Zone IV and V that elliptical shape tunnels are being constructed on this line, which is for the first time in the history of Indian Railways", adding "elliptical shape tunnels are structurally more safe than the D-shape tunnels".