The Hindu : Karnataka News : Mysoreans ready to chip in on rail work

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Mar 07, 2005

Karnataka

Karnataka

Mysoreans ready to chip in on rail work

By Our Staff Correspondent

MYSORE, MARCH 6. The pressure on the Union Government to take up track doubling between Mysore and Bangalore will continue and the people of Mysore are willing to bear the project cost if the State Government reneges on its promise of meeting 60 per cent of its share.

This was stated by the elected representatives and political leaders here at an interactive meeting convened by the Karnataka Rajya Nagarika Vedike.

The meeting was convened to discuss the "step-motherly treatment" meted out to Karnataka in the Railway Budget, and the participants criticised the Union Government for ignoring key railway projects pertaining to the State.

C.H. Vijayshankar, MP, said that the issue will be taken up with the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, and a delegation of elected representatives cutting across party lines are slated to meet Dr. Singh on March 15 to apprise him of Karnataka's aspirations and the injustice meted out to it.

The key issue pertaining to doubling of railway track between Mysore and Bangalore will figure in the meeting as also the need to expedite the Mandakalli airstrip to boost prospects of investment that could propel the local economy. Mr. Vijayshankar said he will raise these issues with the Prime Minister and impress upon him the imperatives of greater investment in Karnataka to take up the pending railway projects on a fast-track basis.

Investments

The former MLA and BJP leader, A. Ramdas, said that the doubling of railway track between the two cities is imperative for the development of Mysore and will also help in attracting additional investment to the city. The key to Mysore's development and growth lay in the twin-track advantage and the State Government should take it up with the Centre on a priority basis. But instead the Karnataka Government has reneged on its promise to meet 60 per cent of the project cost as agreed earlier and is now content funding only half the cost. This has resulted in the delay and a meeting with the Chief Minister, N. Dharam Singh, in the run-up to the budget did not evoke a positive response, he said. If the Government cannot fund the project, then the people of Mysore will come forward to foot the bill and purchase bonds to raise resources to fund it, he said.

Mr. Ramdas said the Railway Budget had lulled the people of the area into a false sense of belief that the State has benefited. But a closer observation will prove otherwise, he said and pointed out that the proposal to run the Mysore-Jaipur Express after completion of the double track is a case in point.

Extension of train

In the budget, it was announced that the Bangalore-Jaipur Express will be extended up to Mysore but only after completion of the track doubling work. Mr. Ramdas said at the current pace of work, the track doubling work will take many years to be completed, and the Mysore-Jaipur Express will not see the light of the day in the near future. Hence, the authorities should alter the existing timetable and ensure that the train becomes operational from April 1, 2005, Mr. Ramdas said.

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