Title - Mysore still awaiting major rail projects

Two major projects announced for Mysore in the Railway budget years ago have yet to materialise, much to stakeholders’ chagrin: a Railway Medical College in the 2009–10 Railway budget and a multifunctional complex (MFC), announced in the same year.

But four years after that announcement, there is no word on the Railway Medical College. While the civil works of the MFC was completed a year ago, the complex has not been put to use.

The then Minister of State for Railways K.H. Muniyappa had affirmed that the RMC would not be relocated from Mysore; additional land would be acquired to put the project on the fast track. But nothing has been done so far.

Land is the crux of the issue and though the Railways have about 18 acres of land, the Medical Council of India guidelines stipulate that establishing such a medical college requires a 25-acre plot of land at least.

General secretary of the Mysore Industries Association Suresh Kumar Jain pointed out that the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) had adequate land for this purpose.“This is reckoned to be the best opportunity to make the right move, because the Railway Minister is from Karnataka and the State has a Congress government.

Any deal in this regard should be struck now and land transfer should take place within the next few months or it will be too late, in view of the impending Parliamentary polls,” said Mr. Jain.

The Railway Medical College and Hospital is meant for railway employees' children who wish to pursue medical education courses. The project is to be taken up on public-private participation, but a section of railway officials said there was no clarity on the project.

The MFC is meant to shore up infrastructure and amenities for rail passengers. The complex will house a food court and plaza, cyber café, pharmacy, ATMs, waiting hall, and retiring room, among other facilities, all under one roof

There are conflicting opinions on the fate of Mysore’s MFC.

One source said that the agency for implementing the project was fixed, while another stated that the bidder backed out as the non-refundable deposit amount was Rs. 75 lakh, and the lease period less than 10 years.