Taranga Hill-Ambaji-Abu rail link project gets cabinet go-ahead

(Representational Image; Source: iStock)


The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the Taranga Hill-Ambaji-Abu Road new rail line (116.65 km) to be constructed by the Ministry of Railways. The project will generate direct employment of about 40 lakh mandays during the construction.
In line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a New India, the project is going to enhance connectivity and improve mobility leading to overall socio economic development of the region.
Ambaji is an important pilgrimage destination and is one of the 51 Shaktipeeths in India that attracts millions of devotees from Gujarat as well as other parts of the country and abroad every year. Once constructed, the line will facilitate easy travel for millions of devotees.
Further, the devotees visiting the Ajitnath Jain temple (one of the 24 holy Jain Tirthankaras) at Taranga Hill would also be greatly benefitted from this connectivity.
This line will facilitate faster movement of agricultural and local products and also provide improved mobility of the people in the region within the state of Gujarat and Rajasthan and also to other parts of the country. This project will also provide alternative routes for the existing Ahmedabad-Abu Road railway line.
The alignment of the proposed doubling will traverse through Sirohi district of Rajasthan and Banaskantha and Mahesana districts of Gujarat. The construction of a new rail line will attract investment and lead to overall socio-economic development of the region.