The Nilgiri-Wayanad National Highway and Railway Action Committee, which has been campaigning for the Nilambur-Nanjangud railway line, has said that the government is trying to torpedo the project to favour the Thalassery-Mysuru railway line.
The proposal has been revised as the Kannur seaport-airport-Wayanad-Coorg-Mysuru rail route with links to Kozhikode from Mananthavady.
State budget
The State Budget presented by Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac in the Assembly on January 31 mentioned that new railway lines such as Thalassery-Mysuru and Nilambur-Nanjangud were under the consideration of Kerala Rail Development Corporation.
Action committee convener T.M. Rasheed said the Nilambur-Nanjangud railway line had been included in the pink book of the Ministry of Railways and the Centre had committed to allot ₹3,000 crore for the project. Subsequently a company had been formed with the Centre and State to execute the project. The Railway Board had also approved a detailed project report prepared by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation. The Karnataka government had also agreed to carry out a survey for the construction of a tunnel through the forests. However, the State government was only prioritising the development needs of Kannur district, alleged Mr. Rasheed.
He said the people of Wayanad would not rest until the Nilambur-Nanjangud railway line, considered beneficial to the people of Wayanad, Kozhikode and Malappuram districts, was implemented.
