MP CM seeks inclusion of Bairagarh in CR`s Bhopal division

Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has written to Railway Minister seeking inclusion of Bairagarh railway station near here in the Central Railway`s Bhopal Division.

Yesterday, Chouhan in his letter to the Minister D V Sadananda Gowda said that Bairagarh station be made part of the division and pending work of gauge conversion between Mhow and Khandwa stations be completed soon, official sources said. Chouhan said that he found it "very strange" that the Bairagarh station comes under Ratlam railway division although it is adjoining the state capital. "It should be made a part of Bhopal railway division as Bairagarh has practically become a part of Bhopal city," the letter said. Bhopal airport is also in Bairagarh. But people have to travel to 200 kilometres to Ratlam for getting railway-related works, the letter said. The letter pointed out that the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly in its monsoon session in 2013 had passed an unofficial resolution to include Bairagarh station in Bhopal division. The chief minister also wrote that Railway has started gauge conversion of Ratlam-Indore-Mhow-Khandwa line, which is a part of gauge conversion work of Ajmer-Secundarabad route. "Ratlam to Mhow gauge conversion is underway, but the work between Mhow and Khandwa is pending. Since Indore, which is considered as a commercial capital of Madhya Pradesh needs connectivity with entire country, the absence of this link cut off it from southern and western India," the letter said. Chouhan also said that ahead of Kumbh Mela at Ujjain in 2016, the completion of this link will provide connectivity with Ujjain to pilgrims from southern and western India. He urged the Railway Minister to complete this project at the earliest.