The project to be taken up at a cost of Rs. 690 crore is expected to be ready in five years’
Minister of State for Railways K.H. Muniyappa addressing presspersons in Madikeri on Sunday. Railways Divisional Commercial Manager, Mysore, V. Sudhakar Naik, is at right. Work on the 80-km Kushalnagar-Mysore railway line will begin in six months, Minister of State for Railways K.H. Muniyappa has said.
He was addressing presspersons in Madikeri on Sunday.
He said the project was being taken up at a cost of Rs. 690 crore and was expected to be ready in about five years. Fifteen railway projects would be taken up in the State, and work on some of them, including Kushalnagar-Mysore line, would begin soon. The State government was cooperating with the Ministry of Railways in the implementation the projects as planned. The Kushalnagar-Mysore project was becoming a reality, thanks to the efforts of Mysore-Kodagu MP A.H. Vishwanath and the former Chief Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda. Some projects planned for the State were awaiting approval from the Ministry, Mr. Muniyappa said.
The Minister said Kodagu was poised to be on the railway map of the country for the first time. Besides helping people to travel to different destinations from Kodagu (Kushalnagar), rail links would serve as a catalyst for business involving transportation of coffee, cardamom, fertilizers and other goods.
Apart from collaborations with the State government for commencing work on 15 projects in the State, the Ministry was also starting 12 projects in partnership with the Andhra Pradesh government, six with the Jharkhand government, four with the Maharashtra government and two with the Rajastan government, Mr. Muniyappa said.
The State governments provided land and shared 50 per cent of the cost of the projects. It would help the Railways to expedite work on the projects, he said.
Stating that the Railways initiated several measures to prevent accidents, Mr. Muniyappa said that “anti-collision devices” were being installed on the trains to prevent accidents. Technologies to stop trains travelling in the same direction on the same lines were also being explored. This experiment had turned out to be a success in the Konkan and north-eastern regions. The Railways accorded priority for safety.
On safety of women travelling on trains, Mr. Muniyappa said there was a move to give additional powers to the railway police.
New ways too were being tried out to ensure safety of people travelling by trains, he added.
Railway official from Mysore Division V. Sudhakar Naik was present.
