K'taka govt promises Rs 100 cr for track doubling work

The Karnataka government has agreed to release Rs 100 crore, its share for doubling the rail track between Bangalore-Mysore, in three phases.

The amount will be released spread over a period of three years at Rs 33 crore each year. Finance minister P G R Sindhia has agreed for this proposal when Mysore MP H Vijaya Shankar met him recently to impress upon him the need for speedy completion of the second rail track.

Both the Centre and state governments have signed MoU for the Rs 220-crore project. While the Centre has released Rs 11 crore, the Karnataka government has made available Rs 9 crore for completing the work up to Kengeri.

But Kengeri from onwards the work has suffered for non-release of the State's share, Vijaya Shankar told Business Standard.

In view of the delay in the project, the MP said he had met the state's finance minister, accompanied with the chief administrative officer of the Railways Manoj Kumar, and suggested to Sindhia to release Rs 100 crore in three phases, if it cannot release in one chunk. Sindhia had agreed for this proposal.

He would meet the minister again and request him to release the first installment so that the work could be resumed at a faster pace. As far the Centre's share is concerned, there was no problem and it would follow soon after the State releases its agreed share, the MP said.

The doubling of the track will benefit parts of Bangalore, Mandya and Mysore, and even those of Mercara and Chamarajanagar.