A high-level coordination meeting was held at the Secretariat on Monday under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan, with DRM Moradabad Sangrah Maurya and senior officials in attendance. The discussions centred on railway projects, infrastructure upgrades, and preparations linked to the upcoming Kumbh Melas.
The Chief Secretary directed that a joint survey for the Rishikesh–Doiwala railway bypass be carried out without delay by teams from Rajaji National Park, the Railways, and the Forest Department. He instructed that processes for both wildlife clearance and forest clearance be initiated promptly. He further asked a joint team comprising officials from the Railways, Forest, and Revenue departments to complete the survey for the expansion of Harrawala Railway Station, so that the project can move ahead quickly.
Emphasising long-term planning, the Chief Secretary noted that the double-laning of the Haridwar–Dehradun railway line must be completed before Maha Kumbh 2033, and clearances for this project should begin at once. He also urged the Railways to prepare a traffic circulation and management plan for the Kumbh Mela at the earliest. In addition, he suggested including Rishikesh and Haridwar stations in the facelift programme for railway stations across the country.
The Chief Secretary proposed that the Railways nominate a Mela Officer for coordination in meetings linked to Kumbh 2027 and participate regularly in upcoming discussions. He also called for a mechanism to exchange information between the Railways and the state government to ensure smoother coordination. Looking further ahead, he instructed officials to prepare a mobility plan for the entire state for the next 50 years, incorporating all modes of transport and future requirements.
Providing updates on key projects, DRM Sangrah Maurya informed the meeting that the preliminary survey for the Dehradun–Mussoorie railway project has been completed and the final location survey will begin soon. He added that the survey for the Saharanpur–Dehradun line is already underway. He also mentioned that while the DPR for Harrawala Railway Station has been approved, the overall project is still awaiting final clearance.
The meeting was attended by Principal Secretary R. Meenakshi Sundaram, Secretary Brijesh Kumar Sant, C. Ravishankar, Resident Commissioner Ajay Mishra, the Vice Chairman of MDDA, and Director General Information Banshidhar Tiwari, along with other senior officials.
