Cabinet Approves Rail Link To 3 Religious Places In Gujarat, Rajasthan. Project To Cost Rs 2,798 Crore

The project is going to enhance connectivity and improve mobility which will lead to overall socio-economic development of the region, said Anurag Thakur.

Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur (Source: File Photo/AFP)

New Delhi: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on Wednesday approved the construction of the 116.65-km Taranga Hill-Ambaji-Abu Road rail line, said Union Minister Anurag Thakur as reported by news agency PTI. He said that the estimated cost of this project is Rs 2798.16 crore and will be completed by 2026-27. This project will connect the religious and tourist center with the main line as well as reduce the burden on the main line.

Thakur said that the total length of the new railway line would be 116.65 km. The project will generate employment for about 40 lakh people during construction. The project is going to enhance connectivity and improve mobility which will lead to the overall socio-economic development of the region.

"The estimated cost of this project is Rs 2,798.16 crore and will be completed by 2026-27. The new railway line will connect two states, and three religious places and will reduce the load on the main railway line," Thakur said at a press briefing.

Union Cabinet approves Taranga Hill-Ambaji-Abu Road new rail line to provide connectivity and improve mobility. The estimated cost of this project is Rs. 2798.16 crores and will be completed by 2026-27: Union Minister Anurag Thakur pic.twitter.com/O2pt0Nda2J

— ANI (@ANI) July 13, 2022

Ambaji is a famous pilgrimage site and one of the 51 ‘Shakti Peeths’ in India. Every year it attracts lakhs of devotees from Gujarat as well as from other parts of the country and abroad. With the construction of this line, lakhs of devotees will be able to travel easily. Apart from this, the devotees visiting the Ajitnath Jain Temple (one of the 24 Tirthankaras) in Taranga Hill will also benefit greatly from this contact. This railway new line between Taranga Hill to Ambaji and Abu Road will connect two important religious places with the main network of railways.

The minister said that this line would also facilitate faster movement of agricultural and local produce. Gujarat and Rajasthan will provide better mobility of people within the state and also in other parts of the country. The project will also provide an alternate route for the existing Ahmedabad-Abu Road railway line. He said that the rail line will pass through Sirohi district of Rajasthan and Banaskantha and Mahesana districts of Gujarat. The construction of the new railway line will attract investment and lead to overall socio-economic development of the region.