N.K. Premachandran, MP, has said that the Railway Budget presented on Thursday has been generous to Kollam.
In a statement, he said the Budget has made a provision of Rs.8 crore for the long-standing demand of a second entry point to the Kollam railway station.
Similarly, for gauge conversion work on the Punalur-Shencotta section, the Budget allocated Rs.86 crore. Railway sources connected with the work said that with the new allocation, about 85 per cent of the work could be completed this year. During the course of the fiscal, there were chances of an additional allocation for the work.
Mr. Premachandran pursued the cause of both the projects with the Railway Ministry. He said that out of the estimated Rs.8 crore for the second entry project, Rs.1.99 crore was the share of the State government and this amount had already been deposited with the Railways. The Budget allocated the balance amount of Rs.5.86 crore. The new entry would be from the National Highway 208. It would have a circulation area, booking offices, and a foot overbridge linking the platforms.
This was one among the five passenger amenity improvement facility sanctioned in the Budget and the only one for Kerala, he said. Last year’s budget had made an allocation of Rs.30 crore for the Punalur-Schencotta gauge conversion project.
Later at the intervention of Mr. Premachandran, another Rs.30 crore was allocated.
