MARGAO: A little over a decade after former Prime Minister A B Vajpaee gave the Sky Bus project gift to Goa on New Year in 2003, curtains finally came down on the indigenously developed technology with the Konkan Railway Corporation commencing work to dismantle the 1.6 km long test track structure at the Margao railway station.
As workers armed with gas cutters were clearing the metal dumped underneath the test track on the Rawanfond side on Wednesday, KRC Senior Manager ( public relations) Baban Ghatge confirmed that work on razing down the concrete test track has finally got underway. “Work to Mumbai-based party. It will take some time before the concrete structure is finally dismantled”, Ghatge told Herald on Wednesday.
Replying to a question, the KRC official said the concrete debris will be dumped in the corporation’s property for the moment.
The sky bus project has been lying in limbo for a decade now after an accident during test trial raised concerns over the safety of technology developed by the KRC. The KRC had spent a whopping Rs 50 crore on developing the technology, including the erection of the 1.6 km test track at the Margao railway station. It was estimated that the dismantling work may cost the KRC around Rs 3 crore, while it may earn revenue to the tune of Rs five crore from the sale of scrap.
KRC Managing Director, B P Tayal had last year announced the decision to scrap the Sky Bus project on grounds that the global expression of interest twice called by the corporation failed to get any favourable response.
Tayal had further said that the state government, who are stakeholders in the Konkan Railway, had also cold shouldered the corporation’s plea for funding of the Sky Bus project.
