‘Karnataka cited financial constraints and conveyed reluctance to share costs’

Mysore/Mysuru: Mysuru-Kodagu MP Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar has assured that he will work towards reviving the shelved Mysuru-Kushalnagar railway line project.

Speaking to Star of Mysore yesterday, he said that the project was scrapped following an assessment by the Railway Department, which concluded that it was not feasible due to low traffic potential and poor financial returns.

He said that the Secretary to the Government, Department of Infrastructure Development, Ports and Inland Water Transport, had written a letter on Nov.  29, 2024, to the Chief Administrative Officer (Construction), South Western Railway, stating that the Karnataka Government did not concur with the proposal to take up the Mysuru-Kushalnagar new railway line under a cost-sharing model.

The letter pointed out that the State Government was already spending Rs. 5,757.27 crore on the implementation of nine railway projects, of which Rs. 2,235.61 crore had been released, while Rs. 3,521.66 crore was yet to be released.

It also noted that the State Government was bearing the full cost of land acquisition for seven projects. Given this financial burden, the letter stated that priority should be given to completing the ongoing projects and that the Mysuru-Kushalnagar railway proposal could therefore be deferred.

It may be recalled that Mudit Mittal, Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) of South Western Railway, Mysuru Division, had earlier this month confirmed to SOM that the proposed 87.2-km Mysuru-Belagola-Kushalnagar railway line had been shelved due to low traffic potential and poor financial returns.

The project had been sanctioned by the Ministry of Railways at an estimated cost of                              Rs. 1,854.62 crore, with the Centre allocating Rs. 1,000 crore during the 2022-23 Budget.

The project would have commenced much earlier if the State Government had handed over the land to the Railways, as the Centre had already released funds. Both the State and the Centre need to work in coordination. As a representative of Kodagu, I will hold discussions with the authorities, as the people of Kodagu need a train facility. —Yaduveer Wadiyar, Mysuru-Kodagu MP