Expedite land acquisition for railway projects: CM Siddaramaiah

Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday directed officials to expedite the land acquisition process for pending railway projects in the state.

At a review meeting, Siddaramaiah took stock of the Kudachi-Bagalkot, Tumakuru-Davangere, Belur-Hassan, Shivamogga-Ranebennur and Dharwad-Belagavi railway lines. 

“The approved railway projects in the state require the acquisition of 16,554 acres. So far, 84% has been acquired. An estimated 2,685 acres (of land) are pending acquisition,” Siddaramaiah said, according to a statement from his office. 

The state government has released Rs 2,581.67 crore for various ongoing railway projects. An amount of Rs 2,950.22 crore has been released towards land acquisition, the chief minister said. 

Siddaramaiah also reviewed the progress of works under the Chief Minister’s Infrastructure Development Programme (CMIDP). A total of Rs 8,666.50 crore has been approved, and Rs 1,000 crore has been released. “All works must be completed within the stipulated timelines. There must be no compromise on quality. District in-charge ministers must review the works,” he said. 

Constituency grants 

Grants have been approved for 205 Assembly constituencies. Siddaramaiah directed officials to receive proposals from the remaining 19 segments. “All tender processes must be completed before January 10,” he said. 

In 2023-24, each Legislative Assembly segment was given Rs 25 crore under the chief minister’s special grants. “A total of Rs 3,510 crore was approved. So far, out of Rs 2,040 crore, 58% of works have been completed and an expenditure of Rs 920 crore incurred,” Siddaramaiah said, adding that an order has been issued to release another Rs 1,205 crore. 

Siddaramaiah also pointed out that Rs 1,890 crore was approved to repair flood-hit roads in 2024-25. Against this, Rs 250 crore was released, he added.