Karnataka to get over Rs.1,000 crore for railway projects

Bangalore, July 4 : The railway ministry has earmarked Rs.1,026 crore (USD 214.5 million) for various projects in Karnataka for the current fiscal, up from Rs.680 crore in 2008-09, Minister of State for Railways K.H. Muniyappa said here Saturday.

'This is the first time in a decade that the ministry has allocated over Rs.1,000 crore in a fiscal for various projects in Karnataka. The state government is also giving a budgetary support of Rs.243 crore for the ongoing projects,' Muniyappa said a day after his senior minister Mamata Banjeree presented the budget in parliament.

Of the Rs.543 crore allocated for ongoing projects, Rs.203 crore will be spent on new lines, Rs.98 crore on gauge conversion, Rs.231 crore on doubling of tracks and Rs.12 crore for electrification.

'Rs.30 crore has been allocated for the 67-km new line between Kottur and Harihar in north Karnataka. Of the total project cost (Rs.415 crore), we have already spent Rs.325 crore. The state government has to provide Rs.100 crore,' Muniyappa said.

On the inordinate delay in completing the double line between Bangalore and Mysore (160 km), Muniyappa said due to some monuments of Tipu Sultan and Hyder Ali at Srirangapatna coming in the way, civil works have been held up between Ramanagaram and Mysore.

'The state archaeological department has assured us to relocate the monuments and clear the way for taking up the doubling works,' Muniyappa said.

'With the Cauvery river and its tributaries flowing across the route between Mandya and Mysore, construction of new bridges and widening of the existing single track is also taking enormous time,' Muniyappa pointed out.

According to a senior South Western Railway (SWR) zone official, of the total project cost (Rs.500 crore) for the double line, Rs.350 crore has been earmarked for the massive civil works and about Rs.150 crore for electrification.

'We have already spent Rs.280 crore on doubling the track between Bangalore and Mysore. The state government's contribution is two-third on cost-sharing basis,' SWR chief administrator Vijay Kumar said.

Among the projects at various stages of completion in Karnataka are Gadag-Bagalkot gauge conversion, Shimoga-Talguppa line, Gulbar-Bidar line, Munirabad-Mehboobnagar line, Mysore-Chamarajanagar and Hassan-Mangalore line.

On the criticism of Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa that the railway budget had not provided sufficient funds for the ongoing projects in the state, Muniayppa said it was a political statement and not based on facts.

'Of the 57 new trains to be introduced this year, eight trains will run through Karnataka. Similarly, four trains have been extended and frequency of one train has been increased to daily from tri-weekly. Bangalore city and Baiyapanahall in east Bangalore will be transformed into world class stations,' Muniyappa asserted.