A slew of railway projects announced for Mysuru in the last couple of years are yet to take off or have been dropped as unviable.
Though the district has got a few new services connecting the region to rest of the country, there is little to show by way of new facility developed in the recent past.
A case in point is the Railway Medical College and Hospital announced by the then Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee in the 2009–10 Railway Budget. The project has been officially dropped not only for Mysuru but 18 other places across India. The reason was that the existing rules of the Medical Council of India did not permit establishing a medical college under public-private-partnership attached to a government hospital.
The South Western Railway wanted to embellish a few metre gauge coaches and have a restaurant on wheels on the old Kabini Bridge between Mysuru and Nanjangud. The objective was to turn the coaches into an exotic hotel for the benefit of tourists visiting Mysuru or heading towards Ooty.
Inspired by Shaan-E-Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh, the concept looked fine on paper. The first expression of interest was published in 2011. Sources said only two persons evinced interest but the terms and conditions were so stringent that the entrepreneurs backed off. “In all probability, the project has been dropped as unviable and the metre gauge coaches may be auctioned as scrap,” sources said.
The Multi-Functional Complex (MCF) at Mysuru station was also announced in the 2009–10 Railway Budget. Though the building has been completed, the facility is yet to become functional. The objective was to shore up facilities for passengers complete with food plaza, restaurant, cyber cafe, pharmacy etc. “The MFC does not come directly under the Railways and is being handled by the Rail Land Development Authority, an official said. Though the tenders were finalised and awarded some time ago, it is yet to be thrown open for public and if the delay continues, there is a risk that the contract may be terminated,” the official said. There are complaints about the battery operated buggies at the city station meant for ferrying senior citizens and persons with disabilities. The other facilities announced for the city station included lifts and escalator a few years ago. But they are yet to be installed.
