Minister for Higher Education and district in-charge Basavaraj Rayaraddi was hopeful that the new railway line between Gadag and Wadi would be completed within the scheduled five years.
He was speaking after inaugurating the work of laying the new line, dedicating the second line between Bhanapur and Koppal and new platforms in Koppal railway station at a function organised in Bhanapur railway station near here on Friday.
“The 257-km stretch new Gadag-Wadi line, which was approved in 2013-14 at an estimated cost of ₹1,923 crore, was being taken up now with revised cost estimate of ₹2,841 crore. The new line was proposed long back when I was the member of Parliament and for various reasons it got delayed,” he said.
According to him, the proposed work was being taken on a cost sharing basis with the State government shouldering 50% of the cost and also allotting the required lands.
To ensure speedy progress, the State government had entrusted the task of acquiring the lands through Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board and hand it over to the Railways.
“Now the 58-km stretch work between Talakal and Kushtagi had been taken up and would be completed in a span of 18 months. The process of acquiring land between Kushtagi-Shahapur-Wadi was under way. The new line will reduce the distance between Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh besides helping economic development of this region,” he said.
Karadi Sanganna, MP, said that the new line would benefit Koppal, Raichur, Yadgir, and Kalaburagi districts and give a boost to economic and industrial development.
He underlined the need to complete the land acquisition process so as to ensure that the project would be ready as per schedule.
B.B. Singh, Assistant General Manager South Western Zone, welcomed. Raghavendra Hitnal, MLA, Halappa Achar, and Amaregouda Byyapur, former legislators, M. Kanagavalli, Deputy Commissioner, Venkataraja, ZP Chief Executive Officer, were among other elected representatives and senior officials present.
