498 km Rail Line along China border in Himachal on anvil

HIMALAYAN ENVIRONMENT 498 km Rail Line along China border in Himachal on anvil

The government of India a strategic railway line along international border with China – from Bilaspur in Himachal Pradesh to Leh in Jammu and Kashmir via Manali covering a sprawling stretch of 498 killometers. This will be in addition to three more railway lines in along Himalayas emanating from North Eastern states. All these projects pass through very difficult terrains of the young Himalayas. The four railway lines – three are in the northeast and one in northern India is part of Indian strategy to match development on the Chinese side of the Himalayas, to some extent.The identified railwayline track are : Missamari in Assam to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh via Tenga (378 km); Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh to Rupai in Assam via Tezu (227 km); North Lakhimpur in Assam to Silapathar via Bame in Along district of Arunachal Pradesh (249 km); and Bilaspur in Himachal Pradesh to Leh in Jammu and Kashmir via Manali (498 km). The railways ministry has requested the ministry of defense to convey approval to carry out final location survey at a cost of Rs.345 crore (Rs.3.45 billion) and provide the necessary funds.