India, March 20 -- Union minister of state for railways Ravneet Singh Bittu on Friday announced a Rs.1,118-crore project to connect Takht Damdama Sahib with the national railway network. Addressing a gathering in Bathinda, Bittu said the 42-km railway line would require 192 hectares of land across Bathinda and Mansa districts, for which the Centre has earmarked over Rs.300 crore as compensation.

Located in the Talwandi Sabo sub division, Takht Damdama Sahib is one of the five temporal seats of Sikhism. The site holds historical significance as the place where the tenth Sikh master, Guru Gobind Singh, stayed for nine months after a battle with the Mughal army and re-dictated the Adi Granth.

Criticising previous governments for their lack...