Shimla – BJP MP and former Himachal Pradesh BJP president Suresh Kashyap raised the long-pending demand for a railway line connecting Paonta Sahib and Kala Amb in the Lok Sabha, emphasising that the move would provide a major boost to the region’s flourishing pharmaceutical industry.
Addressing the House, the Shimla MP said, “Paonta Sahib and Kala Amb are vital industrial areas. After the industrial package granted by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2003, this region saw rapid industrial growth. Today, it is counted among the top pharmaceutical hubs in Asia.”
Despite this industrial growth, Kashyap expressed concern that the region still lacks direct railway connectivity, making transportation of raw materials and finished goods more expensive and time-consuming. “I had earlier submitted a written request to the Hon’ble Railway Minister,” he said.
Kashyap urged the central government to expedite the approval and implementation of the project. “Connecting this region with the railway network will benefit the pharma sector immensely and support thousands of workers and industries operating here,” he added.
Providing an update on railway projects in Himachal Pradesh, the MP informed that as of April 1, 2024, four new railway lines with a total length of 255 km and an estimated cost of ₹13,168 crore are in various stages of planning, approval, or construction. Of these, 61 km have already been commissioned, and ₹6,225 crore has been spent till March 2024.
Kashyap noted that the survey for a 62-km new line between Jagadhri and Paonta Sahib has been completed. Additionally, a separate survey was also conducted for a 216-km railway route from Ghanauli to Dehradun via Kala Amb and Paonta Sahib.
He also highlighted progress on two other key projects — the Bhanupalli–Bilaspur–Beri (63.5 km) and Chandigarh–Baddi (30 km) railway lines — which are being developed on a cost-sharing basis with the Himachal Pradesh government. In the Bhanupalli–Bilaspur–Beri project, 79.57 hectares of the required 124.02 hectares of land have been acquired, and construction has already begun. ₹5,205 crore has been spent so far, though ₹1,351 crore is still pending from the state government. Work has also started on the Chandigarh–Baddi railway project.
