New hope for Patti-Makhu railway line as Centre takes charge of land acquisition

Members of the Amritsar Vikas Manch (AVM) and the trading fraternity on Wednesday welcomed Union Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu’s assurance that the 25.7-km-long Patti-Makhu railway line will soon be constructed at a cost of Rs 764 crore, including a Rs 400-crore railway bridge over the Sutlej river.

They appreciated the Union Minister’s statement that the Central Government would take responsibility for land acquisition, removing a major hurdle that had delayed the project. The move, they said, gives new hope for the execution of this long-pending railway line, approved 12 years ago. Projects of this nature often face delays when land acquisition responsibilities rest with state governments, especially amid Centre-state political rivalries.

The Amritsar Vikas Manch has been pursuing this project since 2013, when it was first approved by the Centre. In recent months, AVM office-bearers met Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria, Rajya Sabha Member Padma Shri awardee Vikramjit Singh Sahney, and BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh, appealing for their intervention to push the project forward. Their combined efforts helped persuade Bittu to ensure its implementation.

AVM patrons principal Kulwant Singh Ankhi and Manmohan Singh Brar, along with president Surinderjit Singh, general secretary Yogesh Kamra, senior vice-president Rajwinder Singh Gill, Jaspal Singh, Kawaljit Singh Bhatia, and other members, expressed gratitude to all who contributed to advancing the project.

Members of the Punjab Pradesh Beopar Mandal also hailed the announcement, noting that once operational, the new railway line will reduce the travel distance between Amritsar and Mumbai by 240 kilometres, saving six hours of travel time and significant rail energy. It will also serve as an alternative route to the heavily congested Amritsar-Delhi-Mumbai corridor.

Importantly, the Patti-Makhu line will establish a direct rail link between Amritsar and Jammu & Kashmir, providing a major boost to trade, industry and agriculture in both Punjab and the union territory.

Amritsar