Southern States - Tamil Nadu   

Railway Ministry to focus on 8 projects

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI MAY 27. The Railway Ministry has targeted eight projects in Tamil Nadu for completion before the end of the current financial year.

Though the fund allocation for these projects in the current budget is not substantial, the Ministry has agreed to pump in necessary funds so that they become operational by March next, the Southern Railay General Manager, V. Anand, told presspersons here today.

The projects are gauge conversion of the Kumbakonam-Thanjavur, Rajapalayam-Tenkasi, Vadalur-Cuddalore, Tambaram-Chengalpatttu, Madurai-Manamadurai and Villupuram-Pondicherry sections, the fourth line from Pattibiram to Tiruvallur and the second phase of the Tirumailai- Velacheri MRTS project.

The Kumbakonam-Thanjavur conversion would be completed well before the Mahamaham festival, to be held in Kumbakonam in February 2004. The State Government had allotted Rs. 74 crores in the current year for the Salem-Cuddalore and Tambaram-Chengalpattu sections and for the second phase of the MRTS.

The Minister of State for Railways, A.K. Moorthy, who was present, said the Ministry had taken up the Rameswaram-Manamadurai-Madurai conversion on a priority basis as the President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, was interested in providing a BG link to his home town, Rameswaram. In the first phase, the section between Madurai and Manamadurai would be completed.

The work on the second phase of the MRTS was progressing satisfactorily and it would be completed soon. On extension of the project from Velacheri to St.Thomas Mount, he said it would be taken up after the Tirumailai-Velacheri section was completed.

Earlier, there was a joint discussion between the officials of the Southern Railway and the State transport deapartment officials, in which Mr. Moorthy and the State Transport Minister, R. Viswanathan, participated. Mr. Moorthy said the State Government was interested in extending the proposed Taramani-Mamallapuram new line to Pondicherry along the East Coast Road and agreed, in principle, to donate land. However, it did not make any commitment on sharing the project cost. State officials demanded more allocation of funds for ongoing projects in Tamil Nadu.

In the morning, Mr. Moorthy flagged off locos for conducting anti-collision device surveys on the Chennai-Jolarpettai-Ernakulam section. About 849 km, covering 107 stations on the section, would be covered by the survey, which would be completed by October.

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