Expectations are running high for the newly proposed Thalassery-Mysuru rail line via Mananthavady ahead of the presentation of the Union Budget on Thursday.
The Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL), tasked with a physical survey, has submitted its report to the Kerala Rail Development Corporation Limited (KRDL), with a positive feedback that the project is “eco-friendly and feasible”. The KRDL, a joint venture company of the State government and the Railways with 51:49 equity partnership, aims to develop railway infrastructure in the State.
Sources said the Ministry of Railways had high hopes that the project, approved by the Kerala and Karnataka governments, would get allocations in the full-fledged budget. The cost of the project has been pegged at between ₹4,000 crore to ₹5,000 crore.
Eco-friendly
The proposed railway line that will pass through Koothuparamba, Mananthavady, Thrissilery, Kutta, Kanoor, Belale, and Thithimathi, to reach Mysuru is not only eco-friendly but also gives weightage to precautionary measures in case of landslides and related disasters.
However, the route of the rail line will be exempted from the Periya and Kottiyoor ridges. Consequently, the line will pass through the southern side of Periya forests via Varayal to connect Manthananvady so as to get proper gradient. One of the worrying factors for the new proposal was getting a smooth gradient. Otherwise a double engine would have to be used to tackle the inclination, the sources said.
Almost 90% of the forest area would be protected with the construction of tunnels. The eco-friendly measures suggested by the Malabar Mysuru Rail Road Action Council has been accepted with respect to the route passing through Karnataka.
Mandatory environmental clearances have to be secured from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and finally recommendations from the National Board for Wildlife, chaired by the Prime Minister, and also the Supreme Court.
The revised proposal has been worked out after the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) in its report submitted to the State government earlier had said that the proposed Thalassery-Mysuru railway project excluding Wayanad would not be beneficial to Kerala. Now a new station at Periyapatna would be included in the route as a link to the proposed Mysuru-Kushal Nagar railway line, the sources said.
