Title - State govt not releasing funds for rail projects: Kharge

Kolar Gold Fields ;
The Karnataka government has not been releasing its share of funds for the rail projects in the State, Union Minister for Railways Mallikarjun Kharge has said.“We are ready to spend an additional Rs 300 crore on the rail projects in Karnataka. But the State government has released only Rs 30 crore in the last four months,” Kharge said here on Saturday. The minister was speaking after flagging off the new Marikuppam-Bangalore train.Kharge said the Ministry of Railways had earmarked Rs 786 crore for Karnataka for rail projects and the work on the new lines could be expedited if the State government speeds up the land acquisition process and releases its share of the project cost at the earliest.“There is no point in blaming the Railways for no or little progress. The legislators of beneficiary constituencies should prevail upon the government to release funds,” he suggested.He said six acres of land in Karnataka and 17 acres in Andhra Pradesh were required for the Marikuppam-Kuppam line. The work would be completed at the earliest if the respective state governments hand over the land to the Railways. The gauge conversion of Kolar-Chikkaballapur line is almost complete, barring a few minor hurdles. Train services could be introduced on the route if the State government and local bodies clear the obstacles.

The minister said there have been complaints that the Demu (diesel multiple unit) between Bangalore and Kolar and Memu (mainline electrical multiple unit) trains between Bangalore and KGF were not of much use for passengers. He said the Centre was looking at shifting these trains to some other route.

Divulging the economics of train operations, Kharge said goods trains bring about 65 per cent revenue while passenger trains yield only 25 per cent to 27 per cent. “New projects could be conceived only in view of this operational efficiency. They cannot be announced at will,” he added.

Of the 368 rail projects in the country, 171 were on new routes and it required Rs 1.78 lakh crore to complete all the projects, he said.

He appealed to the public not to vent their anger on trains during agitations. Referring to disruption of train services in Andhra Pradesh owing to the Telgana stir, Kharge said the movement of trains had been hampered in some places and urged the state government to assist in ensuring smooth movement of trains.

Boon for passengers

The newly introduced Bangalore-Marikuppam rail has come as a boon for passengers who commute to the capital city on a daily basis. Thousands of people travel from KGF to Bangalore for work every day. Till now, they were dependent on Swarna Express, which used to be heavily crowded. Or else, the commuters come to Bangarpet by buses from where they catch Tirupati-Mysore or Jolarpet-Bangalore train. The new rail has eased the passengers’ woes greatly, saving their time and money. It leaves Marikuppam at 4.45 am and reaches Bangalore City at 7.40 am. In the return direction, the train departs Bangalore at 8.15 pm and reaches Marikuppam at 10.30 pm.

Contractors to clear dues

Union Minister of State for Micro, Medium and Small Enterprises K H Muniyappa has said that the global tender to be floated for re-opening of the gold mines at KGF would incorporate a condition that the successful bidder will have to pay Rs 52 crore due to the mine workers.

Speaking at a function to flag off the Marikuppam-Bangalore train at the KGF railway station on Saturday, Muniyappa said the Supreme Court had upheld the decision of the Union Cabinet to re-open the mines. “Accordingly, the Workers’ Forum will get an opportunity to operate the mines. If the Forum is not ready, the tender will be awarded to the highest bidder. The successful bidder will clear the wage dues of the workers,” Muniyappa said.