Just six days after Amit Shah sounded the poll bugle for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the party’s ‘Badlaav Rally’ in Moga district, stating that the party would contest the upcoming Assembly elections on its own to form the government in the state, Union Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu today visited Bathinda railway station and announced that the project for rail connectivity to Talwandi Sabo, which houses Takht Sri Damdama Sahib, has been approved.
He said work on the Rs 1,118.47 crore project would be started as soon as the civil administration of both Mansa and Bathinda districts starts the land acquisition process.
Takht Sri Damdama Sahib is one of the five temporal seats of Sikhism and does not yet have rail connectivity. Talwandi Sabo, also known as ‘Guru Ki Kashi’, hosts a grand fair every year on the occasion of Baisakhi on April 13.
The announcement is being seen as a significant move, as it addresses a long-pending demand of Punjabis, particularly the Sikh community, for direct rail connectivity to the revered shrine. The other four Takhts – Sri Akal Takht Sahib in Amritsar, Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib in Anandpur Sahib, Takht Sri Patna Sahib in Patna, and Takht Sri Hazur Sahib in Nanded – already have rail links.
Currently, in the absence of a rail link, pilgrims visiting Takht Sri Damdama Sahib have to deboard the train at Bathinda, about 30 km from Talwandi Sabo, and then take a bus or a cab to proceed further.
Bittu said, “Earlier, during the tenure of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, the work on this project was decided to be done on a sharing basis between the state government and the Centre, but now the Railways will bear the entire cost of Rs 1,118.47 crore. For the 47.160 km track length between Raman Mandi and Sadda Singhwala village, 192.42 hectares of land will be acquired in Bathinda (151.912 hectares) and Mansa (40.508 hectares) districts. The farmers will be given adequate compensation, as Rs 336 crore has been kept for this purpose. I appeal to all politicians and farmer unions to let this project be completed, as this is work related to our Gurus. Besides, I appeal to the Deputy Commissioners of both Bathinda and Mansa to appoint officers for the land acquisition at the earliest. Usually, such projects are completed within three years.”
Bittu further said that the rail connectivity would not only facilitate easier access for pilgrims visiting the shrine but also boost the region’s socio-economic development. The improved transport infrastructure is also expected to enhance tourism and generate local employment opportunities.
Besides, Bittu announced that Bathinda railway station would be redeveloped at a cost of Rs 100 crore, and the formal announcement in this regard would be made shortly. Notably, Bathinda is one of the biggest railway junctions in Asia.
The demand for a rail link to Talwandi Sabo has been raised repeatedly over the years. Senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader and Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal has consistently raised this demand. She recently flagged the issue in the Lok Sabha, urging the Centre to connect the historic town by rail.
Bittu took potshots at the parties in opposition on several issues, including the long-pending work on the rail connectivity of Talwandi Sabo.
He further claimed that illegal mining was still going on in Pathankot, weakening some railway and national highway bridges. “I visited there about 15 days ago and found that mining was under way. I informed the Chief Secretary of the state. If this mining does not stop, we will find some alternative to save our bridges,” said Bittu.
He also spoke about some other railway projects, including the Patiala-Chandigarh and the Ferozepur-Amritsar lines.
Political observers view the announcement as significant in the run-up to the upcoming Assembly elections, with the BJP stepping up its outreach efforts in the state following Shah’s rally on February 14.
Notably, in the 2013 Rail Budget, then Union Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal in the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government had announced a 32–34 km rail link from Maur to Rama via Talwandi Sabo.
After conducting location surveys, a status report was handed over to the state government in August 2016. However, the survey proceedings were halted due to opposition from farmers. Residents of various villages along the route resented the acquisition of their fertile land, after which the project was deferred.
On December 15 last year, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in the state notified Talwandi Sabo as a holy city, imposing a ban on the sale of liquor, meat, and tobacco. Earlier, on November 24, the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, during its special session held at Anandpur Sahib to commemorate the 350th martyrdom anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur, passed a resolution to this effect, formally according the status to the walled city of Amritsar, Anandpur Sahib, and Talwandi Sabo.
