Slew of railway projects soon in the Kerala-Karnataka region

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, Oct 15, 2017: High hopes are seen for the Kerala - Karnataka States, on several multicrore projects with the proposed visit of Union Minister of Railways Piyush Goyal and Chairman of the Railway Board Ashwani Lohani this month.

The government has a fully loaded agenda to launch new railway projects envisaged under the Kerala Railway Development Board, a joint venture company of the State government and Railways formed in January. The company, first of its kind in a State, has been formed on a 51:49 equity partnerships by the government and Railways respectively to develop railway infrastructure.

On top of the agenda is a meeting of the railway officials led by the Minister with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in the capital city on new proposals, including a railway line connecting north Kerala to Mysuru.

“The dates of their visit have not been finalised yet but we are fully geared up for the event,” a spokesman of the Ministry told media.

It is learnt that the Chief Minister’s Office has pushed for the proposed Thalassery-Mysuru railway project. The government is awaiting approval of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change to carry out a survey for the rail line project through the 49-km stretch in the forests of Kerala.

Demands  :  However, the Nilgiris-Wayanad National Highway and Railway Action Committee, which claims to have the support of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation principal adviser E. Sreedharan, wants to go ahead with the Nilambur-Nanjangud rail line.

Another organisation, the Malabar Mysure Rail Action Council, has mooted a fresh proposal on the Kannur-Wayanad-Coorg-Mysuru line with link to Kozhikode from Mananthavady in Wayanad district.