Date:06/10/2004 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2004/10/06/stories/2004100602470500.htm

Karnataka

State to seek more funds for railway projects

By Our Special Correspondent

GULBARGA, OCT. 5. The Chief Minister, N. Dharam Singh, has said that he will soon meet the Railway Minister, Lalu Prasad, to seek additional allocation for the long-pending railway projects in the State, including the Bangalore Metro Rail.

Talking to presspersons before leaving for Basavakalyan in Bidar district to participate in the campaign for the party candidate, Narsinghrao Suryavanshi, in the Bidar Lok Sabha byelection, Mr. Singh said that a few days ago, during his discussions with Mr. Prasad, he had broached the need for increasing the allocation for pending railway projects in the State and that the Union Railway Minister had asked him (Mr. Singh) to visit New Delhi for a detailed discussion on the subject.

Mr. Singh said that he would be leaving for New Delhi after the October 13 byelection with details about the pending railway projects and present a case before the Railway Minister. He said that the State Government was committed to meeting 50 per cent of the cost of the Bangalore Metro Project and would press for the allocation of the Centre's contribution to begin work on it.

He said that during his meeting with Mr. Prasad, he would take up the lingering railway projects in the State, including the Bijapur-Gadag, Hubli-Ankola, Mangalore-Hassan and Gulbarga-Bidar new railway line, and seek additional allocation for their early completion.

K-RIDE projects

Mr. Singh was, however, non-committal about the inclusion of the Bidar-Gulbarga new railway line project in the K-RIDE projects in the State and also did not give direct reply to questions on the non-allocation of funds for the K-RIDE projects in the State budget this year.

On the delay in constituting the Development Corporations for the individual railway projects such as the Bijapur-Gadag and Hubli-Ankola to mobilise resources, Mr. Singh said the State Government would take a decision on this regard soon and the Hassan-Mangalore Railway Development Corporation had already been constituted.

Funds for overbridges

He said that the State Government had also decided to allocate funds on priority basis for contributing its share of 50 per cent of the cost of the Railway overbridges and level crossings in the State.

Three years ago, the State Government had agreed to join hands with the Railway Ministry to complete all the pending railway overbridges and level crossings and agreed to provide 50 per cent of the cost.

Letters

Mr. Singh said that he had received the 29-page letter written by Janata Dal (Secular) president, H.D. Deve Gowda, on the working of certain departments and instructions had been issued to the officials concerned to take corrective measures.

He had also received a letter written by the former Chief Minister, S.M. Krishna, on certain issues.

However, Mr. Singh did not disclose the contents of Mr. Krishna's letter.

"Mr Gowda's letter did not contain any contradictions on the policy matters," Mr. Singh added.