S.A.S Nagar News: Luxury Train Project Gets Nod
luxury-trainCENTRE CLAUSE Union govt to release funds once conditions laid by standing committee are fulfilled S.A.S. NAGAR: The Union Ministry of Tourism has agreed to release Rs 7.25 crore funds for Punjab’s ambitious luxury train project, with riders. The state government has to fulfill certain conditions as laid by the Standing Finance Committee. In a letter to Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Union Minister of Tourism Kumari Selja has stated, ”We will release funds, but the state government has to fulfill certain conditions regarding the branding of the train as ‘Incredible India’ and providing a certain number of familiarization tours as per the conditions laid down by the Standing Finance Committee. Once the conditions are fulfilled, the funds will be immediately released,” the letter states. The state had signed a Mo U with the Ministry of Railways in ~008 for start of a luxury tourist train in the state. The cost of the project is estimated at Rs 29 crore, out of which the Ministry of Tourism would contribute Rs 7.25 crore, while Indian Railways Catering Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) and Government of Punjab would give Rs 13 crore each. The train will target upscale travelers, and the coaches would be equipped with five-star facilities comprising salons, restaurant cars, lounge bars, observation cars with a viewing gallery, gym, spa, beauty salon, library, games room and a computer centre. The state government has already released its share of Rs 13 crore and even invited bids for the same by December 11. The Oberoi Group is the sole bidder for managing Punjab’s ambitious luxury train project. According to a senior Punjab tourism official, the train will offer a seven-day onboard trip on the New Delhi-Amritsar Pathankot-Kapurthala-Patiala Sri Anandpur Sahib-Dharamsala (Himachal)-Sri Anandpur Sahib Chandigarh-Kurukshetra (Haryana)-Jaipur (Rajasthan) ¬ Agra (Uttar Pradesh)-New Delhi circuit. The train will have about seven to eight coaches and will accommodate 70-80 passengers, the official stated. SOURCE-HT