Government keen on high-speed rail link between B'lore-Mysore

Minister for Infrastructure Development Roshan Baig on Thursday said the State government was seriously pursuing a proposal to provide a high-speed rail link between Bangalore and Mysore.

Speaking to reporters, he said officials of the State Infrastructure Development Department (IDD) were holding discussions with their counterparts in the Ministry of Railways on the proposal, which is aimed at decongesting Bangalore. The plan is to reduce the travel time to Mysore from Bangalore to 45 minutes and encourage people, who are working in Bangalore, to stay in Mysore, he said.

He said the high-speed rail link was necessary not only for Mysore, but for all the nearby cities and towns of Bangalore such as Tumkur and Kolar. “High-speed rail link to small towns around Bangalore is a solution to decongest Bangalore. The Ministry of Railways has responded positively to the State government’s plan in this regard,” he said.

He said the IDD was planning to construct an international convention centre and a sports city on a public-private partnership (PPP) basis on 419 acres of government land near Kempegowda International Airport.

No hasty decision

Baig, who also holds the Information portfolio, said he would not take any hasty decision on directing multiplexes to reduce ticket fares.

“It is true that entry fee at multiplexes is too high. At the same time, they have to provide quality service. If we force them to slash the fee, then new multiplexes will not come up,” he said, adding that he will soon be touring Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat to study the system there.

This apart, the IDD is planning to take up construction of cinemas on PPP model with an aim to promote Kannada movies. Private investors have come forward to take up projects in Bellary, Mangalore and Belgaum, he said. He said the government was working on bringing out a new infrastructure policy-2014 in about two months’ time.