China to begin construction of Ya'an-Linzhi section of Sichuan-Tibet Railway close to India's border
Beijing: China is all set to begin the construction of the strategic Sichuan-Tibet Railway between Ya'an in southwest Sichuan province and Linzhi in Tibet, close to the Indian border in Arunachal Pradesh, the official media reported.
China Railway announced on Saturday the bidding results for the construction of two tunnels and one bridge, as well as the power supply project for the Ya'an-Linzhi section of the Sichuan-Tibet Railway, indicating that construction of the project is about to begin.
The Sichuan-Tibet Railway is the second such project in Tibet after the Qinghai-Tibet Railway. It will go through the southeast of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, one of the world's most geologically active areas, a report by the state-run China News reported.
The Sichuan-Tibet Railway starts from Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, and travels through Ya'an and enters Tibet via Qamdo, shortening the journey from Chengdu to Lhasa from 48 hours to 13 hours, the report said.
Linzhi, which is also known as Nyingchi, is located close to the Arunachal Pradesh border.
China claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of southern Tibet while India contests it.
Linzhi also has an airport, one of the five built by China in the Himalayan region.
The newly-built Ya'an-Linzhi section runs 1,011 kilometers and includes 26 stations. Trains are expected to run at speeds between 120 and 200 km per hour, a staffer in charge of the project said.
The total cost of the entire Sichuan-Tibet Railway project is around 319.8 billion yuan (USD 47.8 billion), Global Times reported.
The Sichuan-Tibet railway is also of great significance in safeguarding national unity and maintaining border stability, the daily quoted Chinese experts as saying.
After the Sichuan-Tibet railway starts operation, Tibet will have more exchanges with other parts of the Chinese mainland. Strategically, China's Tibetan region will have much stronger capabilities in material transportation and logistical supplies," Lin Minwang, deputy director at the Center for South Asian Studies at Fudan University, said.
Qian Feng, director of the research department at the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University told the daily If a scenario of a crisis happens at the China-India border, the railway will provide a great convenience for China's delivery of strategic materials."
The Sichuan-Tibet Railway will not only accelerate and enhance the overall economic development of the Tibet region but will play an important role in safeguarding border stability, the daily's report said.
The construction of the Sichuan-Tibet Railway is of strategic importance that benefits the overall development of Tibet, Xiong Kunxin, an ethnic studies professor at the Tibet University in Lhasa, said.
As a major infrastructure project, the railway is set to improve transport that has hindered exchanges between the Tibet region and the rest of China, and could help transport advanced equipment and technologies from other places to Tibet, and bring local products out, Xiong said.
Observers said the new railway line will put Tibet on a fast track to catch up with other more developed regions of China, the reports said.
Both Sichuan and Tibet are rich in resources with their unique natural landscapes, huge mineral reserves, and a wide variety of medicinal herbs.
After the completion of the Sichuan-Tibet Railway, it is expected to greatly boost local tourism all along the line, it said.
It will also enhance person-to-person exchanges between different regions and ethnic groups, promote understanding and cultural integration, Xiong said.
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West Asia conflict: More than 700 travellers from MP stranded in UAE
Indore (PTI): More than 700 people from Madhya Pradesh, including two former MLAs, are stranded in the United Arab Emirates due to flight cancellations amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia, an office-bearer of a travel agents' outfit said on Sunday.
Several people from the state had travelled to the UAE for tourism and business purposes, and the crisis in the region had left them stranded, Amol Kataria, chairman of the Travel Agents Federation of India's MP unit, told PTI.
Many travellers from the state had cancelled their upcoming trips to Dubai and Sharjah, he added.
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Kataria said that more than 700 people were stuck in the UAE, and among them, former MLA and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Sanjay Shukla is in Dubai.
"Due to the current international situation, our return to India today could not take place as Dubai airport was temporarily closed. We are receiving full cooperation from the Dubai administration and the Government of India. We will return to Indore as soon as the situation normalises," Shukla's post on social media stated.
Talking to PTI, the former Indore legislator's son, Sagar, said that his father had gone to Dubai three days ago with former Depalpur MLA Vishal Patel and some industrialist friends, and was scheduled to return to Indore on Sunday.
He said he had spoken to his father over the phone and heard explosions during the conversation, following which his father and his friends moved to a safe location.
He expressed hope that his father and his friends would return home soon with the efforts of the Indian government.
Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Congress president Jitu Patwari, in a social media post, claimed that over 100 citizens from the state were stranded at Dubai and Sharjah airports.
Women, children and families had been facing inconvenience for several hours, and anxiety had increased after flight cancellations, he said.
Patwari urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene immediately and ensure the safety of all Indians stranded in the UAE, while making arrangements for their early return home.
The United States and Israel launched a major attack on Iran on Saturday, with Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei killed early on Sunday.
Hundreds of flights have been disrupted across West Asia and in other countries, including India, due to airspace restrictions following the joint attack and retaliatory action by Iran.
