Naganahalli Satellite Terminal Project shelved due to land acquisition hurdles: MP

Mysore/Mysuru: A slew of development works in the Mysuru Division of South Western Railway were fast-tracked at the Gati Shakti Unit meeting chaired yesterday by Mysuru-Kodagu MP Pratap Simha in the presence of Divisional Railway Manager Rahul Agarwal and other officers.

In all, the meeting discussed 17 projects including the development of a MEMU shed at Naganahalli, additional platforms at Mysuru City and Ashokapuram Railway Stations and it was decided to speed up the implementation to meet the future requirements of the city and also keeping in mind the passenger amenities.

While the Mysuru City Station will have 3 additional platforms, 4 stabling lines, 4 pit lines and one shunting neck, Naganahalli will have one platform, 1 covered pit line and 1 stabling line. Ashokapuram Station will have 3 additional platform lines, two stabling lines and facilities for watering the coaches.

Pratap Simha told reporters after the meeting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had performed the bhoomi puja for the Naganahalli Satellite Terminal at a cost of Rs. 789 crore as the Mysuru City Station has reached a saturation point and need expansion.

Demolishing Railway Quarters

“Unfortunately, the Naganahalli Project had to be shelved as there is a requirement of vast and acquisition up to 165 acres. Instead, the development works will be initiated next to the City Railway Station with an estimated cost of Rs. 493 crore after demolishing the Railway Quarters,” he said.

These staff quarters have been built on the 65-acre land owned by the Railways and over 350 staff quarters beginning near the CFTRI Gate Railway Station entrance from Vani Vilas Water Works on KRS Road till A. Ramanna Circle (Railway Colony) will be demolished. Before that, the 350 families that are presently living there will have to be relocated, the MP said.

Rental accommodation as ad hoc measure

The residential quarters are over 95 years old and have to be demolished. “We are thinking of relocating the 350 families to other places where new vertical residential complexes like the group housing project can be constructed and also house the employees in other Central Government Quarters that are available. Building residential complexes will be a long-term solution,” the MP added.

Finding a rental accommodation is a temporary arrangement. The Railways will pay for the monthly rentals if the employees are housed in flats and other residential accommodations and once the shifting process is complete the work on demolition of the quarters and expansion of the Mysuru Terminal will begin, Pratap Simha said.

Land will have to be procured to build the group houses and this will take time. As such, the temporary arrangement has been made to find the rental accommodation. The critical City Railway Station expansion work cannot be held up until the quarters are built, he explained.

“The City Railway Station expansion project will be taken up in three phases and the survey including preparation of drawings, engineering scale plan, quarters drawings, bridge drawings etc., were in progress. The timeline for the completion of the works is three to four years. We are targeting to complete at least 40 percent of the work by 2024,” Simha added.

New Terminal building at Yadavagiri

A new Terminal building will be constructed at the Yadavagiri side of the existing station similar to the new one constructed at Baiyappanahalli in Bengaluru. The Ashokapuram Station will be remodelled and Rs. 30 crore has been sanctioned in two phases. Three additional platforms lines, two stabling lines and other facilities will be created and private land extending up to 300 square metres will have to be acquired at Ashokapuram.

“Also, there is availability of Government land extending up to 5,000 square metres at Ashokapuram and soon, Mysuru Deputy Commissioner will be taken to the location for the land sanction. The work to create two stabling lines at Belagola Station has been completed. The expanded City Railway Station, remodelling of the Ashokapuram Railway Station and the capacity increase at Belagola Station will meet the long-term requirements of Mysuru city for the next few decades,” the MP said. Additional Divisional Railway Manager Vinayak R. Nayak, ADRA E. Vijaya, Gati Shakti Unit Head and Chief Project Manager Vishnu Bhushan and others were present.

Mysuru-Kushalnagar Line survey; Kukkarahalli Gate Underbridge

The final location survey work for the 87.2-km Mysuru-Belagola-Kushalnagar Railway Line and its report will be ready by March 2023 and post that, the process of land acquisition will begin, said MP Pratap Simha.

The Railway Line was sanctioned on 27.2.2019 by the Ministry of Railways, for Rs. 1,854.62 crore. In the Union Budget 2022-2023, the Centre granted Rs. 1,000 crore for the project.

The Railway Line will begin from Belagola in Srirangapatna taluk of Mandya district and end at Koppa near Kushalnagar in Kodagu. It will pass through Yelwal, Bilikere, Uddur, Hunsur, Sathegala, Periyapatna and Doddahonnur to reach Koppa village, he added.

Kukkarahalli RUB

One of the important projects for Mysuru city is a Road Under Bridge (RUB) at the Level Crossing near the Kukkarahalli Lake. The estimated cost of the project is Rs. 26.54 crore.  The RUB at the Level Crossing of Mysuru-Nanjangud section Railway track running behind Crawford Hall and close to Kukkarahalli Lake will greatly benefit the people of Mysuru. “The project has been sanctioned and approvals will be secured soon. The Public Works wing of National Highways Authority of India will bear the project cost,” Simha added.