Complete the Baddi-Chandigarh rail corridor as soon as possible

Railways are a Union subject; for this project the state role is land acquisition, cost-sharing and advocacy. The Chandigarh-Baddi new rail line, about 28-33 km and roughly Rs 1,540 crore, cost-shared 50:50 between the state and Centre, is progressing on schedule and the state has substantially discharged its role. Land acquisition of about 97 hectares and forest clearance are complete, around 75% of the 9-km viaduct has been built, and construction of bridges, road over-bridges and station buildings is underway; the state had deposited about Rs 348 crore of its roughly Rs 534 crore share. Unlike the Bhanupalli line, the state is not the bottleneck here. The corridor is not yet complete, but it is on a credible trajectory toward completion, hence on track.