CM to decide on suburban rail project today

Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy will take a final decision on the suburban rail project at a meeting scheduled for Thursday afternoon.

Chief Secretary T M Vijaya Bhaskar held a meeting with South Western Railway General Manager Ajay Kumar Singh on Wednesday evening during which the state government "reiterated its approval" of the draft feasibility report on suburban railway submitted by RITES two months ago.

"The state government has sought some minor changes in the report. But these will not affect the progress of the project in any way. Both the parties have agreed to take the project forward. Since it is a project that involves huge cost, it will be placed before the chief minister," a source said.

Officials said the state Cabinet has to approve the project estimated to cost Rs 17,147.20 crore (excluding taxes), following which it will be sent to the Railway Board.

"The Railway Ministry will take it further till the project gets the necessary approval from the Union government," the source added.

The state government has decided to seek an extension of the proposed 160.5 km suburban rail network to connect nearby cities, including Ramanagara and Tumakuru, in the next phase of the project.

After meeting Railway Minister Piyush Goyal in Delhi last week, Kumaraswamy had announced that the state government will give all necessary clearances in three days to expedite the project.