The Hindu Business Line : Guntakal not to be part of new SW Rly zone

GUNTAKAL would remain part of the South Central Railway and there was no reconsideration for its inclusion in the newly formed South Western Railway to be headquartered at Hubli in Karnataka, the Minister of State for Railway, Mr Bandaru Dattatreya, has said.

The notification on the formation of the new railway zone had already been issued with the three divisions of Bangalore, Mysore and Hubli to be brought under the new South Western Railway.

Addressing a press conference here after visiting the wheel and axle plant at Yelahanka near Bangalore on Tuesday, Mr Dattatreya appreciated the sentiments of the people of Karnataka in demanding the inclusion of Guntakkal in the new zone.

He, however, said the reorganisation of the zones had been done after careful deliberations on the overall considerations of administrative efficiency and revenue potential of the sectors and not on any political or regional basis.

Enumerating the railway projects in Karnataka, the Minister said by next year most of the pending projects, including gauge conversion, electrification of tracks and doubling of tracks along important routes of Bangalore-Chennai and Hasan-Bangalore, would be completed.

On the proposal to develop a commuter railway system for Bangalore, the Minister said RITES had completed a study and the State Government had to give its view on it before any further step was taken.

The project, estimated at Rs 918 crore, involves doubling the tracks on the Kengeri-Yelahanka-Bynappahalli-Bangalore-Whitefield route. This project will also be undertaken on a cost-sharing basis between the Railways and Karnataka.

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Guntakal not to be part of new SW Rly zone