Date:26/01/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/01/26/stories/2008012653730800.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Golden Chariot exempted from excise duty

Staff Reporter

It completed its trial run satisfactorily and is almost ready for flag off

— Photo: K. Gopinathan

Spit and polish: The interior of the Golden Chariot, which reached Bangalore from ICF Chennai on Friday.

BANGALORE: All hurdles that threatened to take the steam out of the much-publicised luxury train, the Golden Chariot, seem to have been cleared and the train will be decked up in royal splendour in the next five days.

Verbal assent

"We have received oral communication from the Central Excise Department that we will be exempted from the excise duty. We hope to receive a written letter in this regard, latest by Monday," Project Director Anand Menon told The Hindu.

The Commissioner of Central Excise had asked the Integral Coach Factory (ICF), where the coaches were built, to pay excise duty of around Rs. 3.27 crore, which includes Rs. 1.52 crore imposed on bare shells (coaches).

The Golden Chariot also completed its trial run from the ICF in Chennai to the Byappanahalli railway station satisfactorily. The train, on which 95 per cent of the work has been completed, rolled into the Byappanahalli railway station in the city around 11 a.m on Friday, having left the ICF in the early hours of the day.

With these key issues put to rest, the finishing touches to the train will be completed ahead of schedule. "Since President Pratibha Patil will flag off the train, we are looking at finishing the work in the next four or five days, even though we had earlier set a deadline of 10 days," Mr. Menon said.

Works to be done

Soft furnishings, installation of television sets and arranging of crockery are some of the works being carried out.

The cost of the entire interior decoration of the train is about Rs. 7 crore; the cost of the entire train is about Rs. 40 crore.

After the flagging off by the President at the Yeshwanthpur railway station, the train will head to Mysore, Mr. Menon said.

Route

The commercial run of the train will begin in March. The train, similar to the Deccan Odyssey and the Palace on Wheels, will criss-cross the State, beginning from Bangalore and on to Mysore, Srirangapatna, Kabini Wildlife Sanctuary, Belur, Halebid, Shravanabelagola, Hampi, Aihole, Badami, Pattadakal and Goa, and back to Bangalore.