Union Minister of State for Railways, Jal Shakti V Somanna
Credit: DH Photo
Birur, Chikkamagaluru: The electrification of railway lines in Karnataka has reached 97 per cent completion, and the goal is to achieve 100 per cent electrification by the end of this year, said Union Minister of State for Railways, Jal Shakti V Somanna.
Speaking to reporters after inspecting the Birur railway station on Sunday, the minister said, “To ensure passenger safety, the Indian Railways is introducing an advanced safety technology called Kavach. This system prevents accidents caused by two trains running on the same track."
"The technology allows trains to stop automatically even if they are as close as 50 feet apart. Kavach will be installed on 1,700 km of railway tracks at an estimated cost of Rs 3,500 crore,” he explained.
Somanna said that projects worth Rs 7,844 crore are currently under progress in Karnataka this year. The Railways has also begun adding 10,000 new coaches to regular trains.
Additionally, Rs 200 crore has been released for setting up a rail coach factory in Yadgiri, and 61 railway stations have been upgraded at a total cost of Rs 1,900 crore, he informed.
Under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, the Birur and Kadur stations will each be upgraded at a cost of Rs 20 crore, with completion targeted for 2027–28.
He further stated that several railway overbridges and underpasses are being constructed, with 644 overbridges already completed and 1,662 km of new railway lines under development.
Responding to a question on the supply of clean drinking water, the minister criticised the state government for its lack of cooperation.
“Karnataka ranks 21st in the country in providing clean drinking water and has failed to fulfill its responsibility. The central government has allocated Rs 5 lakh crore for clean drinking water supply, but the state government has not submitted utilisation certificates. Such non-compliance cannot be accepted in the Centre’s transparent system,” Somanna said.