THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The long-standing demand of the state for an exclusive railway zone was dashed, even when hopes of realising the Palakkad railway coach factory and Cherthala rail and wagon component factory were rekindled at the high-level meeting between Union Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi and team and the state government and MPs here on Monday. The Railway Ministry officials also emphasised the need for cost-sharing by the state for expediting the projects. The foundation stone for the rail coach factory will be laid on October 22 and a RITES report for setting up the Cherthala factory on a PPP basis will be filed by November 15, said Dinesh Trivedi and Union Minister of State K H Muniappa after the meet, in the presence of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Minister Aryadan Mohammed, who is also the minister in charge of Railways in the state. The demand for a rail zone was diluted with a substitute proposal to appoint a railway nodal officer for the state who will coordinate between the state and the Union Railway Ministry. The meet focussed on the rail needs outside the purview of the budgetary framework and thereby leaving the Kochi Metro Rail and Sabari project in the ongoing pattern. Complimenting the UDF Government for completing all acquisition procedures of the land earmarked for coach factory at Palakkad, Dinesh Trivedi stressed that the functioning of the Railways will be reoriented with safety as the topmost priority. A weekly train between Dibrugarh in Assam and Kanyakumari via Thiruvanthapuram covering 4,500 km and the daily Palakkad-Mangalore inter-city train will start operations soon. The daily Rajya Rani Express covering Nilambur Road-Thiruvananthapuram will be flagged off on October 23. MEMU trains will also starts operations in the state soon, said Vinay Mittal, Railway Board chairman .Out of the four rakes needed for operations, two have been already allotted and one will be released next month. The MEMU loco shed at Palakkad had been commissioned and work on the one at Kollam will be completed soon, the chairman said. Trivedi said that the deadline for completing rail electrification works in between Thiruvananthapuram and Kanyakumari has been set at December 31 this year. The work on the proposed Mysore-Thalaserry rail line will commence soon, Muniappa said. Expressing satisfaction at the outcome of the meeting, Oommen Chandy said that there has been a favourable stance for a high-speed rail corridor from Kasargod to Thiruvananthapuram, construction of rail overbridges, underpass at Kollam and other projects. Chandy also announced the formation of a high-level committee with the state chief secretary as chairman to sort out all outstanding issues with Railways on rail development in the state.
Comments
0 comment