UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi will lay the foundation stone of Rs 5,000 crore Rishikesh-Karanprayag rail project, a cherished desire of the people of backward Garhwal region, on 9th November.

The project which is expected to be completed in 5 years would finally connect the backward Garhwal region with the rest of the country through a rail link which would shorten the arduous 8-hour road journey between the holy city of Rishikesh and Karanprayag to just 4 hours.

The 125-km-long Rishikesh-Karanprayag railway line was sanctioned by the Railway ministry in 2010 and a sum of Rs 4,295 crore had already been earmarked for it, officials said. The project, which was earlier entrusted to the engineering wing of the Northern Railways, would now be undertaken by the Railways Vikas Nigam.

PTI