Date:17/12/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/17/stories/2008121760080600.htm

Karnataka

‘Resume work on railway line’

Special Correspondent

Bangalore: Work on the 47-km Talaguppa-Shimoga stretch of the Talaguppa-Bangalore broad-gauge railway line has come to a halt for over two years.

Started by the erstwhile Mysore State Railways on the orders of then Maharaja of Mysore, Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar in 1938 to supply material to the Sharavathi Valley Project (now Mahatma Gandhi Hydroelectric Works), which was under construction, the rail link catered for the people of the region until train services were stopped in 1994.

The railway line was laid at a cost of Rs. 24 lakh provided by the then Mysore Government Electricity Department. The same line was utilised to connect Hubli at Birur and Mysore at Arsikere.

Traders used to transport chilli, cotton, cattle-feed, oilseeds and salt (from Tuticorin) to Sagar in Shimoga district for onward despatch to the nearby towns and villages.

Railway commuters from Sorab, Sagar, Anavatti, Siddapur, Jog Falls and Sirsi are forced to take buses to Bangalore.

Office-bearers of the Shimoga-Talaguppa Railway Broad-Gauge Horata Samiti, led by its president, Na D’Souza, noted Kannada writer, told reporters here on Monday that while work on the 45-km Anandapura-Talaguppa stretch was going on, there was no progress on the other stretch. The shortage of concrete sleepers had slowed the pace of work.

Mr. D’Souza said that the railway line, when completed, could be connected to the Konkan Railway line at Honnavar in Uttara Kannada district, which would reduce the distance between Bangalore and Mumbai by 150 km.

He said the Railway Ministry had released Rs. 150 crore for the project.

V.P. Baligar, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, said the State Government had already released around Rs. 50 crore as part of the matching grant for the project.