MYSORE: The Chief Ministers of Kerala and Karnataka have expressed interest in entering into a cost-sharing agreement to lay a railway line between Mysore and Tellicherry, said Union Minister of State for Railways K H Muniyappa. He said that the survey of the project, estimated to cost around Rs. 2,100 crore, would be soon placed before the Railway Board. The proposed railway line would pass through Nanjangud and Wayanad situated 236 km and 241 km respectively from Mysore. Also, 159 km of the track will run in Karnataka. The Railway Ministry will hold a meeting with both state governments to decide on the cost sharing. Currently the Karnataka government has taken up 11 on-going projects on cost-sharing basis, he added. States such as Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Rajasthan too have shown interest in cost-sharing model to execute railways projects.Munniyappa also said that the Railways will start the survey on the proposed railway line between Kushalnagar and Mysore in the coming months and would table detailed reports before the Board.Meanwhile, the survey report for Chikmagalur-Sakleshpur railway line has been completed and would be tabled before the Railway Board.On the Ministry of Environment and Forest’s objections to Hubli-Ankola and Talaguppa-Honnavar railway lines, he said that a detailed report has been submitted by the experts and the issue would be taken up with the MoEF to put an end to confusions. “I have spoken to Union Minister of State for Forests Jayanthi Natarajan regarding the projects which are pending for the last 20 years awaiting clearance. The railways will take a decision on this within six months,” he added. The Railways has decided to take up work between Bangalore-Chamrajnagar via Kanakapura, Malavalli and Kollegal as the MoEF has not given clearance to lay track through Sathyamagalam Reserve Forest. The Ministry was also keen to step up electrification to check pollution and become environment friendly, he said, stressing that railways were not against the environment.
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