Long-pending plans to construct a new railway line on the Tumakuru-Rayadurga (Andhra Pradesh) route is set to take off in June, while land acquisition process has gathered pace for the Tumakuru-Davangere route, another delayed project.
The state government has joined hands with the South Western Railway for the 207-km Tumakuru-Rayadurga line via Kalyanadurga,which was sanctioned back in 2007-08 at a cost of Rs 2,062 crore.
The Tumakuru-Davangere line (191 km) via Chitradurga was sanctioned in 2011-12 at Rs 1,801 crore.
Together, the two lines will boost the line capacity of the railways, allowing introduction of new trains and streamlining the existing services.
The projects remained stuck due to the delay in acquiring nearly 4,000 acres of land. The railways had requested the government for 1,396.26 acres of land (in Karnataka) for the Rayadurga line and another 2,314.43 acres for the Davangere route.
“Over the last two years, the state government has responded very positively and helped in taking the project forward. These are two crucial projects which will benefit the people of the state in the coming days,” SWR Chief Public Relations Officer E Vijaya told DH.
In fact, the railways has already begun formation work on a 37 km length. Preparatory works are on to take up the project in engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) mode.
A senior official said tenders for the Rayadurga line’s Karnataka portion will be called in June.
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