629% jump in funds allocation for railway projects in Karnataka: Railway minister

Railways is regularly following up with the Government of Karnataka for deposition of their due cost sharing amounts, Vaishnaw said

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday informed the Parliament that the railways made the highest ever budget outlay of RS 6,091 crore in 2022-23 to take up railway works falling in Karnataka, which is 629 per cent more than average annual budget outlay of 2009-14, which was just Rs 835 crore.

“As on 01-04-2022, 32 projects (21 new lines and 11 doubling) of total length 4,330 km, costing Rs 49,087 crore, falling fully/partly in the state of Karnataka are in different stages of planning/sanctioning/execution, out of which 1,305 km length has been commissioned and an expenditure of Rs 16,258 crore has been incurred upto March, 2022” the minister said in the Lok Sabha, in written answer.

Replying to Lok Sabha members Shivakumar Udasi (Haveri) and G M Siddeshwar (Davangere), the minister said 21 new line projects of total length 2,583 km costing Rs 32,900 crore, of which 319 km length has been commissioned, and an expenditure of Rs 5,162 crore has been incurred up to March 2022.

At least 11 doubling projects of total length 1,747 km, costing Rs 16,187 crore, out of which 986-km-length has been commissioned and an expenditure of Rs 11,096 crore has been incurred up to March, 2022, he said. “As on 01-04-2022, total 14 projects (12 new line and 02 doubling) of total length 1,674 km, costing Rs 18,811 crore falling fully/partly in Karnataka, on cost sharing basis with the Government of Karnataka, are under different stages of planning/approval/execution, out of which 298-km-length has been commissioned and an expenditure of Rs 4,711 crore has incurred up to March, 2022,” the minister said.

“Railways is regularly following up with the Government of Karnataka for deposition of their due cost sharing amounts for these cost sharing projects,” he said.

“Since 2014, there has been a substantial increase in the fund allocation for New Line, Gauge Conversion and Doubling Projects and commensurate commissioning of Projects in the Indian Railways,” the minister said.