New rail projects to up entrepreneurial activity

The bonanza for Mysore in the Railway Budget announced by Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee has cheered the people here as many of the old projects are back in focus again and some unexpected proposals have been made.

Besides the Shimoga-Mysore inter-city daily express among the 10 new trains proposed for Karnataka, the inclusion of Mysore in the three circuit routes of ‘Bharath Theerth’ trains is expected to boost tourism of this heritage city, which is drawing funds for improvement of tourist and other infrastructural facilities under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission. The Palace has been attracting record visitors surpassing even those of the Taj in Agra.

Mysore is among the tourist cities to be covered in the three new circuit operations from Howrah, Pune and Madurai.

Among the nine surveys proposed for rail projects, the plan for the Mysore-Kushalanagar-Madikeri link has come to the fore again. Mysore-Madikeri rail link was proposed over a century ago by the erstwhile rulers of Mysore.

Another survey mooted is for a railway line between Krishnagiri and Chamarajanagar. However, this project may need clearances at different levels. The two rail links were put in cold-storage on economically unviable grounds for a long time. However, the survey proposal to link the headquarters of the newly carved out Chamarajanagar district with Tamil Nadu has raised hopes of commercial growth of this backward area.

Welcoming the proposals, Mysore Chamber of Commerce and Industries President R Krishna said none of the previous railway ministers had done justice to Karnataka and hence, “it feels good there is some good thinking at least now.”

He hoped that the new proposals and those promised last year would not suffer for finances. “As far as revenue generation for new projects are concerned , even earlier railways did not have adequate revenue flow. Former Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav is said to have window dressed the railway finances. At least now there is transparency and this is good,” he remarked.

Railway lines like Mysore-Madikeri are to be welcomed as this particular line would benefit development of tourism in both the districts, Krishna said.

The Mysore Industries Association welcomed the railway budget and said it enhanced the activities of entrepreneurs in and around Mysore, Madikeri and Kushal Nagar. However it was unhappy about non-mention of the Chamarajanagar -Mettupalayam and Hubli-Ankola rail links.

Association general secretary Shreeshail Ramannanavar urged the Karnataka government to release Rs 2,259 crore towards pending projects in the ensuing State budget.