KIADB Land still a mirage for railways

The proposed development of facilities at the Hubli railway station by the South Western Railway hangs in balance as the state government has failed to keep up its promise of providing the land.

The South Western Railway with its headquarters at Hubli has prepared plans for the development of the major railway stations in its area of operation. Upgrading the Hubli and Dharwad stations was among the plans.

The Karnataka government had promised SWR that it will hand over 100 acres near Navalur which belongs to the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB).

The KIADB had acquired the land from farmers for allotting industrial units but in the absence of industries ready to set up units in the area, the land was being sold to automobile showrooms and workshops. The SWR needs the land near Navalur to shift the Hubli goods shed.

The expansion and renovation of platform at Hubli is possible only when the existing goods shed is shifted. The Railways had spoken to the state government and even Dharwad north MP Prahlad Joshi and impressed on the government the need to hand over the land to the Railways.

Minister in-charge of Dharwad district S R Morey had informed that the government had agreed to hand over the land and had instructed the KIADB accordingly. Industries minister in the Dharam Singh cabinet P G R Sindhia had also cleared the proposal to hand over the land. Though the proposal to hand over the land was cleared at the ministerial level, the actual transfer has not happened.

SWR general manager Triloknath Perti said the state government had not handed over the land to Railways so far. He was categorical that no development work at Hubli railway station could be taken up without shifting the goods shed.

According to sources, the KIADB is demanding hefty price for the land, which the railway is not ready to pay. MP Prahlad Joshi said it was the commitment of the state government to provide the land and it should stick to the promise. The then chief minister of Karnataka S M Krishna had promised the land to Railways during the inauguration of the SWR zonal headquarters office at Hubli.

The then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and railway minister Nitish Kumar were present when S M Krishna had promised this at the public meeting. Prahlad Joshi said, "Whoever is the chief minister and whichever party is in power, the government's commitment has to be honoured."

He has urged the government to hand over the land to Railways and enable it to begin development works. It may be recalled, the people of North Karnataka had to launch an agitation to get the South Western Railway headquarters. When it was established, Bangalore was made its headquarters defeating its very purpose.

The people of the region again resorted to an intensified agitation to get the SWR zonal headquarters shifted from Bangalore to Hubli. They wanted the headquarters at Hubli hoping it will help the development of the railway facilities in the region.

Dharam Singh's cabinet had three ministers from Hubli-Dharwad and none could pressure the government to hand over the 100-acre land to the Railways.

The railway authorities on their part are unhappy with the SWR headquarters being in Hubli and hence are not very keen on developing the facilities. The attitude of the state government had only come handy for the railway authorities to further delay the things.