Metro man E Sreedharan Seeks to connect Konkan Railway formula to Kashmir Valley

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However, with the Railway Board summarily dismissing the suggestions, Sreedharan warns yet again that if work goes on at the same pace "it will take another 20 years to complete the project".

 In response to a public interest litigation filed by advocate and politician Prashant Bhushan's Centre for Public Interest Litigation, the Delhi High Court had constituted a committee in 2015 with Sreedharan as its head to look into the 111-km rail corridor from Katra to Banihal.

 The line connecting Katra, a Hindu pilgrimage town near Jammu, with Banihal in the Kashmir Valley, is plagued by inordinate delays and cost overruns since work commenced in 2002 with the Railways having spent Rs 10,000 crore already.

 "A similar arrangement was done for the Konkan Railways. Only if the SPV is formed will the project be completed in the next 8 to 10 years. Otherwise with the present style of working, it will take another 20 years" Sreedharan, 85, who had spearheaded the challenging Konkan Railways project, delivering 760 km of rail corridors with 59 stations, 92 tunnels and 2328 bridges, added, "We had finished the project in seven years.

 The Katra section is extremely important and will facilitate transportation of troops and bring down prices of essential commodities.

 With 27 bridges including the tallest railway bridge in the world and 37 tunnels, one of the longest in Asia, it throws up challenges coupled with a hostile terrain.

 While two-thirds of the larger 326-km corridor ranging from Jammu-Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla is ready, only the Katra-Banihal calls for attention.

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