Karnataka - Bellary   

`Adopt concerted approach for better rail infrastructure'

By Our Staff Correspondent

BELLARY, MARCH 2. The Bellary District Railway Development Action Committee has underlined the need to adopt a concerted approach to get more facilities and amenities.

In a letter to the Chief Minister, N. Dharam Singh, which was released to the press, the committee's honorary president, M. Nagaraja Rao, has said that the State was ignored with regard to providing more facilities in the recently presented Railway Budget.

This, according to him, was mainly because of the lack of concerted efforts and unified approach among the leaders, politicians, business and trade bodies.

He said that though South Western Railway zone was formed in April 2003, people from south Karnataka had a different perspective and considered it to be limited to north Karnataka. People should eschew such an approach and join hands for the State's integrated development.

Complimenting the Chief Minister for his initiative in organising a meeting of MPs from Karnataka at New Delhi on March 4 to discuss Railway Budget and benefits given to the State, Mr. Rao wanted Mr. Dharam Singh to urge the MPs to strive hard to get more facilities.

He said that though several railway projects were pending in the State, a mere Rs. 187 crores had been allocated and a majority of areas were deprived of new train facilities.

He said that Bellary district contributed an annual freight revenue of over Rs. 800 crores to the railways by way of transportation of iron ore. However, hardly any facilities were extended to the region despite the fact.

The long pending demands include introduction of trains between Chennai-Mumbai via Bellary, Hospet, and Hubli, running of trains between Bellary and Hospet, which is also an important tourist destination with the world-famous Hampi adjacent to it, for the benefit of tourists and general public.

Demands

The major demands of the committee include completing the work of doubling of line between Hospet and Guntakal and also the Kottur-Harihar line expeditiously; resuming train services that were withdrawn after gauge conversion between Guntakal and Hubli and other places; creating two more railway divisions at Gulbarga and Mangalore and tagging it to the South Western Railway Zone.

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