Wed Oct 02 08:22:32 UTC 2024: ## Banswara Remembers Lal Bahadur Shastri’s Visit, Still Awaits Promised Railway Line
**Banswara, Rajasthan:** On the occasion of Lal Bahadur Shastri Jayanti, the people of Banswara district are reminiscing about a unique anecdote linked to the former Prime Minister’s visit. During his visit to the region in 1956, Shastri, who was then the Railway Minister, received a silver train model as a gift. This gesture was a symbol of the local community’s fervent desire for a railway connection. Sadly, the dream of a railway line in Banswara remains unfulfilled.
Senior writer Bhupendra Upadhyay recalls that the locals, deeply longing for rail connectivity, devised a plan to commemorate their request. They decided to present Shastri with a silver model train as a token of their aspirations. The committee formed for this purpose gifted the model to Shastri in the presence of then Chief Minister Mohanlal Sukhadia and freedom fighter Dhoolji Bhai Bhavsar.
Despite this symbolic plea, the railway project has been stalled for years. The Dungarpur-Ratlam via Banswara railway project was initiated in 2011 with the laying of the foundation stone by then UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi. The project received funding of Rs. 200 crore from both the central and state governments. However, following the change in government in 2013, the project was abandoned, leaving the railway line incomplete.
The office of the Deputy Chief Engineer, located at the district headquarters, also remains closed. Though the current state government has promised to revive the project, the people of Banswara continue to wait for the day when their city will be connected to the railway network.
First Piper 