TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
MARGAO: Konkan Railway Corporation on Thursday unveiled its ambitious plan for doubling and electrification of the Konkan Railway line, even as KRC Chairman and Managing Director B P Tayal sought to allay apprehensions that the doubling project would entail acquisition of additional land along the route.
Tayal further exuded confidence that the Goa government, which is a partner in the KR project, would cooperate with the KRC to get the additional land. “Unlike its stand not to give additional land for the doubling of the Vasco-Hospet route, we are hopeful that the Goa government would cooperate and acquire additional land required for the future growth of the KRC,” Tayal told media at the Margao Railway Station.
On land acquisition for the line doubling, Tayal said KR would require only minimum possible land. “I don’t want to disturb the local people or any State government just for the land. If we can economise on our design, we should go for the doubling,” he said, adding “people will have to cooperate. If they want to stall the project, we live by the way we live. We are giving our services. Our policy is to give jobs to the land losers.”
While the line doubling is estimated to cost the KRC a whopping Rs 15,000 crore, the electrification project would cost Rs 600 crore. “At most places, we have acquired land for doubling. Only at tunnels, which cannot be widened, we require additional land. Otherwise, we have the land,” Tayal sought to allay fears of additional land acquisition.
Pointing that around 55 trains are presently running on the KR route everyday, necessitating doubling of the track, Tayal said that development of Ports near Ratnagiri and in Karnataka, besides construction of sidings for the Seabird project at Karwar would result in running of additional 5-15 trains everyday in the near future.
On funding of the doubling project, he disclosed plans to approach the World Bank and Japanese government to fund the project. “It has cost us Rs 3500 crore to lay the KR line. Now, the doubling is estimated to cost Rs 15,000 crore. Both the World Bank and JICA have funded the Delhi Metro and Delhi Freight corridors. Preliminary reports say that both WB and JICA are in favour of funding the doubling project because of the vast business potential,” he added.
On electrification of the KR line, Tayal said the electrification project would cost KR around Rs 600 crore. “Electrification will help to save Rs 100 crore every year on diesel. We are thinking whether to execute the project on Build-Operate-Transfer basis. We will are still working on the financial modes.
