New toy train to chug at Raja Seat

A toy train and its track at Raja Seat have been declared unfit for usage. The railway department officials have recommended the replacement of the train along with the track. An estimate has been prepared in this regard, said City Municipal Corporation officer Nagaraj.

During a special meeting at the CMC auditorium on Saturday, CMC members expressed their discomfiture on the stoppage of the toy train at Raja Seat and urged the train to be restarted.

Nagaraj said that the railway officials examined the toy train and the railway track for fitness six months ago and were of the opinion that it is not safe to run the train. Accordingly, the toy train service was stopped.

The CMC has plans to purchase a new toy train along with replacing the old track with a new one. A company has come forward to provide the toy train at a cost of Rs 1.12 crore. Also, an estimate for
Rs 48 lakh has been prepared for laying the new track, he said.

The members demanded speedy processing of the same.

CMC President Kaveramma Somanna said that the work on clearing the old bus stand is complete. Discussions have been held with District In-charge Minister Sa Ra Mahesh and Deputy Commissioner
P I Sreevidya for developing the old bus stand site into a tourist spot. A detailed plan will be drawn after gathering opinion from the CMC members, she added.

Differences of opinion

CMC members from the BJP opposed the idea of developing the old bus stand site into a tourist spot while members from Congress supported the plan. As the meeting failed to arrive at a conclusion, it was later decided to chair a joint meeting headed by the district in-charge minister and with the presence of the members of legislative assembly and CMC members.

Retired PWD engineer Satyanarayana Rao detailed upon how the technical issues should be considered while developing the site.

Member P D Ponnappa advised constructing a retaining wall at the old bus stand site, as the CMC has already approved the work. If a new plan is implemented, the rescheduled work would be affected. The soil at the site should be tested first.

Kaveramma Somanna said that the district administration is keen on the tourism project as the district would get a new tourist attraction.

CMC standing committee chairman P T Unnikrishna too opposed the idea of a tourist spot at the bus stand site and urged to construct reclining wall as decided earlier.