Rly projects in doubt as K'taka refuses to share cost

Karnataka has refused to honour a pact it signed with the ministry of railways to share the cost of rail projects and provide free land, casting doubt over a series of ongoing connectivity work in the state.

Writing to Railway Minister D V Sadananda Gowda last week, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said his government cannot share the projects’ cost or provide land for free owing to financial constraints.

This means the railways must entirely bankroll the ongoing and future projects in Karnataka, while also paying for any land required to lay new lines or doubling of lines.

The ministry rejected Karnataka’s request to bear the costs, saying the state must keep its end of the deal if it wants the projects to be completed early. “It has to share the cost, apart from giving free land,” the ministry said.

Though Karnataka pioneered the concept of sharing cost with the railways, others like Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Haryana have also signed MoUs with the ministry for building new tracks or over bridges.