Minister of State for Railways E. Ahamed has stressed the importance of joint efforts of the State and Central governments for completing rail development activities.
Speaking after laying the foundation stone for the proposed railway overbridge (ROB) here on Tuesday, Mr. Ahamed said the basic problem in railway development, including doubling works and construction of the ROBs, was the difficulty in acquiring land.
If the State government was prepared to acquire land, Railways was ready to construct the ROBs required in the State, he said adding that proposals for constructing 63 ROBs in the State were now under consideration. Railways had equipment and funds for the construction of the ROBs, he said.
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Mr. Ahamed said that works of six ROBs in the State had been completed since he became the Minister of State for Railways.
Stating that implementation of development projects involved a host of technical issues, he said that criticism levelled against the Railways was baseless. He said that development activities estimated at Rs.170 crore were now under way since his tour of the railway stations from Kasaragod to Thiruvananthapuram last year.
The works with an estimated cost of Rs. 84 crore were being carried out in the railway stations under the Palakkad division, he added.
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Minister M. Vijayakumar, who is in charge of railway development in the State, presided over the function. Health Minister P.K. Sreemathy and Kasaragod MP P. Karunakaran were among those present at the function.