The proposed Kanhangad-Kaniyooru railway line that provides the easiest access to Bengaluru from north Kerala has been earmarked Rs.20 crore in the 2016-17 budget.
The rail project was shelved after the Centre made it mandatory for the State to bear 50 per cent of the project cost.
The present allocation has increased the chances for the project’s revival. The traffic and feasibility surveys have been successfully completed and the project is awaiting a green signal from the State government that it is ready to abide by the terms mandated by Railways to kick-start the 90-km rail link to Kaniyooru in Karnataka.
P. Appukuttan, chairman of the Kanhangad Nagara Sabha Vikasana Samithi, which is playing a lead role in coordinating various agencies, hailed the State government’s initiative. The government’s decision had given a fresh ray of hope for rail link project, said T. Mohammed Aslam, a member of the Samithi.
Several organisations erected flex boards hailing the decision in various pockets of Kanhangad on Friday.
People hopeful of revival of Kanhangad-Kaniyooru line, offering improved access to Bengaluru.
