NASHIK: The survey work of the very important proposed new railway line Nashik-Pune is in the final stage. For this, the process of land acquisition of farmers has been started. The project has already been approved by the State government. However, due to the lack of final approval of the Central government, the project work has not been started yet.
The project needs to be completed as soon as possible. It has been pending with the Central government for final approval for six months now. In the current Winter Session of Parliament, MP Godse has raised the issue as he has been following up for the last five years to create a triangle of development by connecting two cities of Nashik and Pune by rail link, which are very important for Nashik.
For this proposed project, MP Godse has already raised the issue in Parliament and got the project approved in principle. A fund of Rs. 2 crore was sanctioned for the survey of this railway three years ago. The work of this survey has been completed.
Due to his continuous efforts, the Railway Board, as well as the State and Centre, have approved the proposal of the Nashik-Pune railway line. The railway line will cost Rs. 16,000 crore out of which Rs. 3,500 crore will be allocated by the State government and equivalent Rs. 3,500 crore by the central government. About Rs. 9,000 crore will be raised through equity.
In the meantime, yesterday Godse again raised his voice in Parliament and drew the attention of the union government. The Nashik-Pune railway line will connect two major cities of the state and thus the Nashik-Pune-Mumbai golden triangle of development will be completed. The proposed project has already been approved by the Railway Board and the Ministry of Railways.
The state has sanctioned 20 per cent of their share of the funds required for the project and the issue of equity funding has been resolved. However, the project proposal has been pending with the Centre for final approval for the last six months.
Godse drew the attention of the government to this proposal by raising the question of when this proposal will get final approval and when the actual work of this project will start. He urged the House to give final approval to the Nashik-Pune railway project immediately and also to start the actual work of the project. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav has testified that the demand made by MP Godse is just and we will soon discuss this demand and take a positive decision on the proposed Nashik-Pune railway line.