Maharashtra: Social worker writes to PM, renews push for Thane-Jawhar-Nashik railway route covering tribal belt

THANE: In yet another attempt to get railway connectivity for tribal towns and villages of Maharashtra's Palghar district, a lawyer and social worker has renewed a fresh push and has now written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting sanction for a broad gauge railway route.
Eighty-year-old Rajaram Mukne, a lawyer by profession, along with social organisations, has been demanding a railway route connecting Thane to Nashik via Bhiwandi, Wada, Vikramgad, Jawhar and Mokhada and a separate route connecting Vikramgad and Dahanu since 1989.
Speaking to TOI Online, Mukne, the former president of Jawhar Nagar Palika, said that 22-years-ago, the railway board had conducted the Dahanu-Nashik route survey inauguration ceremony. However, later it was officially declared as commercially unviable and since then “we have been pushing for an alternate route”.
"As the Dahanu-Nashik route was unfeasible, I had given representation to the then railway minister Ram Naik proposing an alternate feasible route. Later, Naik assured to take steps via his reply on June 30, 1999. However, things could not proceed further as the government changed," he adds.
Now, in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mukne has requested him to order the survey of the proposed route and demanded that provision be made for funds for the construction of the railway line.

Along with his letter, he also submitted a project file emphasising how the route will prove a boon for the tribal region and could also help expedite land acquisition from the region for bullet trains.
"There is a huge potential in the field of tourism, adventure sports, organic farming, tribal art, and pilgrimage in the region and a railway line will help to harness potential resources. Whereas, it will also open a new avenue for agro-wood and bamboo-based industries, trade and commerce," Mukne said in the letter.
Meanwhile, Mukne also met Union minister Kapil Patil, who represents the Bhiwandi constituency to apprise him about the issue and submitted a memorandum.
"In his speech, PM said that 75 Vande Bharat trains will connect every corner of the country and I hope that at least now railway will also reach predominantly populated tribal areas from Palghar and Thane," he added.