The temporary closure of the Ganga canal for maintenance in Haridwar’s Har Ki Pauri has offered a rare site for residents and tourists to ponder over alike – did trains run where the Ganga canal is located now prior to its constructions decades ago?
With the closure of the canal and the water receding eventually, officials were stunned to see the old railway tracks beneath the Ganga water showing up around 3 km from the Haridwar Railway Station.
Every year, the Uttar Pradesh irrigation department closes the Ganga canal for maintenance, which temporarily alters the appearance of the Ganges in Haridwar. Due to the significantly low water level, the railway tracks appeared this time, sparking curiosity among onlookers.
Visuals of the tracks surfacing are going viral, prompting netizens to question when these tracks were constructed and for what purpose.
While many theories are circulating online, long-time resident Adesh Tyagi said that during the construction of the canal in around 1850, handcarts used to run on these tracks to transport construction material. After the completion of the dam and embankment from Bhimgoda Barrage to Dam Kothi, British officers used these tracks for inspection, he speculated.
History expert Professor Dr. Sanjay Maheshwari also supported this theory, saying the canal was a major project for the then-British era governor, Lord Dalhousie. It was built under the supervision of engineer Thomas Cautley. Many such big projects from the British period play a significant role in modern India.
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