JOIN USRailways to accelerate projects in State
Railway Minister Mallikarjuna Kharge said on Saturday that all efforts would be made to expedite work on railway projects that had been neglected in the State.
Kharge was speaking after inaugurating the Raichur-Gadwal railway line and flagging off the Raichur-Gadwal-Kachiguda train in the city. He said work on the Raichur-Gadwal railway line had been pending for the last 13 years.
The new line had been laid at a cost of Rs 350 crore. An escalator was also being installed at the Raichur railway station to help senior citizens and the disabled, he said.
Work on the Chikmagalur-Kadur, Humnabad-Bidar, Kolar-Chikkaballapur had also been taken up in full swing. It was aimed at inaugurating five new railway lines in another two months, the Minister said. The State government had promised to ensure the release of its share of funds for the completion of the railway projects. This would help complete all projects in the State, Kharge said.
Noting that the UPA government at the Centre had contributed much for the Hyderabad-Karnataka region, Kharge said it had brought an amendment to Article 371 of the Constitution for the region’s development. A whopping sum of Rs 5,500 crore was sanctioned for the irrigation schemes in the region, he said.
The Ginigera-Mehboobnagar railway line required 2,190 acres of land. The State government had provided 1,120 acres so far and had promised to acquire the remaining land at the earliest. If the land was handed over to the Railways at least up to a stretch of 100 km, tenders would be called for executing the work, he said.
Speaking to reporters after the launch of the new train, the Minister said that the system of time management and inspection had been improved, besides taking better security measures. President Pranab Mukherjee is expected to give his assent to Article 371 (J) within four days and special status for Hyderabad-Karnataka region may be a reality soon.