Budget offers gift to Chikmagalur, disappoints Malnad

The people of Chikmagalur are overwhelmed with the railway budget. The budget has given prominence to Chikmagalur.

The budget has approved railwayline between Chikmagalur-Belur-Sakleshpura. With this the long pending demand of the region will be fulfilled, said MP K Jayaprakash Hegde.

“The proposed railwayline was proposed by former PM Indira Gandhi way back in 1978. It was former Union Minister for Railways C K Jaffar Sharif who had flagged of survey on Kadur-Chikmagalur-Belur-Sakleshpura railwayline. Now 47 km railwayline from Kadur-Chikmagalur is ready for inauguration. With the Minister giving green signal for Belur-Sakleshpura line, the work can be accelerated,” he added.

The MP said that with the state government sharing 50 per cent of the project cost, the railway projects can be taken up at a faster pace in the State. The budget has also proposed doubling of track from Ajjampura-Shivani, Shivani-Hosadurga. The project is likely to be completed during 2013-14. The district Congress unit has welcomed the railway budget and termed it as people-friendly budget.

Congress leader A N Mahesh said that the Kadur-Chikmagalur railwayline is likely to be completed by March. To help the commuters, railway station will come up at Kadur, Bisilehalli, Sakharayapattana, Kanivehalli and Chikmagalur.

However, the budget has once again disappointed the residents of Malnad, by not including railway connectivity between Bhadravathi to Sringeri.

The Narasimharajapura taluk centre that had railway connectivity prior to independence, had to lose the facility when Bhadra reservoir project was taken up. Before the commencement of Bhadra reservoir project, a tramway was commissioned on May 15, 1917 to facilitate the citizens of Tarikere to Narasimharajapura.

The route passed via Tarikere, Lakkavalli, Hosalli, Tadasa before reaching NRPura. Another route connecting Tadasa and Hebbe was commissioned on February 5, 1921, which was cancelled in 1949. The distance between N R Pura and Tarikere was 42.81 km. 

It was said that the tramway was commissioned to transport iron and steel to Vishweshwaraiah Iron and Steel factory in Bhadravathi. The goods train was plying to Bhadravathi Junction, Kanagalasara, Maridibba, Nelagadde, Kodihalli, Muthinakoppa and Aramballi.

When contacted MP Jayaprakash Hegde, he said that he will make an effort to include the proposal in the next budget. District-in-Charge Minister D N Jeevraj said “we have been proposing railway connectivity to Sringeri for the last three years. However, the demand has not been fulfilled so far.”