Chandigarh, June 19 -- The Centre has revived the long-pending Qadian-Beas railway line project, which will connect Qadian in Gurdaspur district with Beas in Amritsar district, nearly a century after it was first conceived during the British era. Announcing the revival on Thursday, minister of state for railways Ravneet Singh Bittu said the 39.68-km broad-gauge corridor will be built at an estimated cost of Rs.1,400 crore. He did not specify any commencement or completion date for the project. "The proposed alignment will pass through the important towns and villages of Qadian, Dhapai, Ghuman, Butala, Sathiala and Beas, bringing several areas of the Majha belt onto the railway network and significantly improving mobility for local residents," a railway ministry statement said. The project is expected to improve access to several prominent religious and spiritual destinations, including Qadian, Dera Baba Jaimal Singh, Beas, Sri Darbar Sahib, Dera Baba Nanak, Gurdwara Achal Sahib and many others. Officials said the project was first approved in 1928-29 by the then North-Western Railway. Construction had progressed by the early 1930s, but changing circumstances and shifting planning priorities led to its discontinuation. The UPA government later recognised its importance and revived it. However, the project remained stalled due to various reasons. "After years of delays and procedural hurdles, the project has now been revived, with a revised detailed estimate of approximately Rs.1,400 crore," the ministry said....