Even as the row over the delay in land acquisition for rail projects continues between the State and Central governments, a cursory glance through the rail projects in neighbouring States reveals that Kerala lags behind in rail development compared to Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday reiterated that Kerala should expedite land acquisition to complete the projects.
He said of the 475 ha required for four rail projects in Kerala, including the Sabari rail project for which 392 ha needed to be acquired more, only 64 ha had been acquired.
Among the four projects, three projects together require only 15 ha, including Thiruvananthapuram-Kanyakumari doubling (7 ha), Ernakulam-Kumbalam doubling (3 ha), and Kumbalam doubling (5 ha).
The Sabari rail project that began in the 1997-98 period had been frozen by Railways after protests by local people and court cases. Now, the State government has conveyed its willingness to shoulder 50% of the cost as demanded by the Centre. Railways then requested Kerala to enter into a tripartite memorandum of understanding between State government, Ministry of Railways, and the Reserve Bank of India for executing the project.
Though the State had been demanding Nilambur-Nanjangud, Thalassery-Mysuru, and Kanhangad-Panathur-Kaniyur rail lines, none of the projects had been considered by the Centre.
On the other hand, in Tamil Nadu, as many as 22 projects, including 10 new lines, three gauge conversions, and nine doubling works with a total length of 2,587 km, at an estimate of ₹33,467 crore are under way, according to the replies of the Minister in Parliament.
So is the case with Karnataka, where as many as 31 projects, including 21 new lines and 10 doubling works with a total length of 3,840 km, at an estimate of ₹47,016 crore are under way.
Considering the number of rail projects in the neighbouring States, there is a clear disparity that persists in allotting new projects in southern States. Government sources said though the Centre had been quoting confusing figures with regard to land acquisition, the State needed to provide only around 20 ha for various rail development works in Kerala out of the total 60 ha required, excluding the Sabari project.
On the other hand, the State is still dragging its feet on taking forward the Sabari project. Though the State recently agreed to enter into a tripartite agreement, the note for discussing the agreement is yet to be presented in the Cabinet.
Published – December 11, 2024 08:41 pm IST