Lok Sabha Question No. 876 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-12-20
Subject: Ongoing Rail Projects in Tamil Nadu
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: KRISHNAN NARAYANASAMY RAMACHANDRAN, R.K. BHARATHI MOHAN

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.  876 TO BE ANSWERED ON 20.12.2017

## ONGOING RAIL PROJECTS IN TAMIL NADU

876.  SHRI K.N. RAMACHANDRAN: SHRI BHARATHI MOHAN R.K.:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS  be pleased to state:

- (a) the  present  status  of  the  ongoing/pending  railway  projects  in Tamil Nadu, Zone-wise/Division-wise;
- (b) the  total  funds  earmarked  and    allocated  for  the  execution  of each of these projects as on date;
- (c) the details of funds spent  thereon, so far;
- (d) the list of projects getting delayed and the reasons therefor and the  escalation  of  cost  due  to  delay  in  completion  of  these projects; and
- (e) the  time-frame  set  for  the  completion  of  these  projects  along with the steps taken/being taken by the Railways in this regard?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

(SHRI RAJEN GOHAIN)

- (a) to (e):   A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

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STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PARTS  (a)  TO  (e)  OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 876 BY  SHRI K.N. RAMACHANDRAN AND SHRI  BHARATHI MOHAN R.K. TO BE ANSWERED IN LOK SABHA ON 20.12.2017 REGARDING ONGOING RAIL PROJECTS IN TAMIL NADU

(a) to (d): Details of projects included in Budget,  falling partly or fully in the State of Tamil Nadu  alongwith latest estimated cost, expenditure  incurred  thereon  upto  March,  2017  and  outlay  provided etc are as under:-

( ` in crore)

| S. No .   | Ongoing Project                             | Zone (Railwa y)   | Latest Cost   | Expendit ure upto March, 2017   | Outlay 2017- 18   | Status                                                                                                                                                                                  |
|-----------|---------------------------------------------|-------------------|---------------|---------------------------------|-------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|           | NEW LINE                                    |                   |               |                                 |                   |                                                                                                                                                                                         |
| 1.        | Tindivanam -Gingee- Tiruvannam alai (70 Km) | Souther n         | 900           | 59.9                            | 19                | State Government to expedite acquisition of required land. Work on major bridges taken up.                                                                                              |
| 2.        | Tindivanam -Nagari (179.2 Km)               | Souther n         | 2300          | 209.66                          | 47                | Track linking of Walajah Road- Ranipet (6.5 Km) completed. On balance portion, Governments of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh have to expedite handing over of required land to Railways. |

|   3. | Attipattu- Puttur (88.30 Km)                      | Souther n   |   528 |   3.34 |   0.05 | Land requirements submitted to Governments of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. No land is received.                                |
|------|---------------------------------------------------|-------------|-------|--------|--------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|    4 | Erode- Palani (91.05 Km)                          | Souther n   |   603 |   1.63 |    1.1 | Government of Tamil Nadu has been requested to provide land free of cost and share 50% of construction cost of the               |
|    5 | Chennai- Cuddalore via Mahabalipu ram (179.28 Km) | Souther n   |  2350 |   2.27 |    0.1 | Revised alignment in Puducherry area has been approved and preparation of plans & estimate for entire project has been taken up. |
|    6 | Madurai- Tuticorin (143.5 Km)                     | Souther n   |  1500 |  55.2  |  100   | State Government has to expedite handing over of required land to Railways. Earthwork and bridgeworks                            |

|    |                                                                                           |                |      |      |      | taken up on Milavittan- Melmarudur (18 Km).                                                                                                                             |
|----|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------|------|------|------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|  7 | Sriperumbu dur- Guduvanch ery with spur to Irungattuko ttai-Avadi- Sriperumbu dur (60 Km) | Souther n      | 1500 | 0.61 |  0.1 | Project included in the Budget 2013-14 subject requisite clearances.                                                                                                    |
|  8 | Morappur- Dharmapuri (36 Km)                                                              | Souther n      |  358 | 0    |  0.1 | Project included in the Budget 2016-17 subject requisite clearances. State Government has been requested for their consent to take up work through Joint Venture model. |
|  9 | Hejjala- Chamarajan agar section (142 Km) of Bangalore- Satyamang alam (260 Km)           | South Wester n | 1524 | 5.59 | 21   | Hejjala- Chamarajanagar section (142 Km) falling in Karnataka only is taken up. Work beyond Chamarajanagar falling partly in Tamil Nadu is                              |

-4-

|    |                                                                                                                                                               |           |        |        |     | frozen as decided by State Government.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            |
|----|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------|--------|--------|-----|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|    | GAUGE CONVERSI ON                                                                                                                                             |           |        |        |     |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   |
| 1. | Mayiladutur ai- Thiruvarur- Karaikudi & Tiruturaipu ndi- Agastiyamp alli (224 Km) including Needamana galam- Mannargudi and Mannargudi -Pattukottai new lines | Souther n | 2072.5 | 832.99 | 240 | Mayiladuturai- Thiruvarur gauge conversion (38 Km) and Needamangalam- Mannargudi new line(13 Km) commissioned. Karaikudi- Pattukottai (73 Km) is in advance stage of completion. Work on balance gauge conversion also taken up. For Mannargudi- Pattukottai, Deatiled estimate processed for requisite sanction. As regards Thanjavur- Pattukottai new line, need for taking up the work is under consideration. |

|   2. | Madurai- Bodinayakk anur (90.41 Km)                                                                                                        | Souther n   | 302.9 0   |   29.78 | 70.7   | Earthwork, bridgeworks etc have been taken up.                                                                                        |
|------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------|-----------|---------|--------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|    3 | Quilon- Tirunelveli- Tiruchendur &Tenkasi- Virudhunaga r (357 Km)                                                                          | Souther n   | 1170      | 1119.89 | 41.4 8 | 336 Km Commissioned. Remaining portion i.e. New Aryankavu- Edamann (21 Km) falling in Kerala is in advance stage.                     |
|    4 | Cuddalore- Salem via Vriddhachal am gauge conversion( 191 Km) with material modification of Chinnasale m- Kallakurichc hi new line (16 Km) | Souther n   | 556.6 4   |  303.72 | 0.01   | 191 Km gauge conversion commissioned. For Chinnasalem- Kallakurichi new line (16 Km), no land is handed over by the State Government. |
|    5 | Tiruchchirap palli-Nagore- Karaikal gauge conversion with                                                                                  | Souther n   | 980       |  630.89 | 40     | 135 Km Tiruchchirappalli- Nagore Gauge conversion and 20 Km Nagapattinam- Velankanni & Nagore-Karaikal                                |

-6-

|    | Nagapattina m- Tiruturaipun di new line(43 Km & Karaikal- Peralam new line (23 Km)   |                |        |         |      | new lines have been commissioned. For Nagapattinam- Tiruturaipundi new line(43 Km), land acquisition completed and earthworks & bridge works taken up. For Karaikal- Peralam new line (23 Km), Karaikal Port Authorities have been requested for their consent to fund the work.   |
|----|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------|--------|---------|------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 6  | Mysore- Chamarajana gar with extension to Mettupalaya m (148 Km)                     | South Wester n | 608    | 201.9 8 | 0.5  | 60 Km gauge conversion in Karnataka area commissioned. Work on new line extension (88 km) partly falling in Tamil Nadu area is held up for want of requisite clearances.                                                                                                           |
|    | DOUBLING                                                                             |                |        |         |      |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    |
| 1. | Chennai Beach- Korukkupet 3 rd line (4.1 Km)                                         | Souther n      | 167.61 | 79.57   | 25.2 | Earthwork and bridge works have been taken up.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     |

|   2. | Chennai Beach- Attipattu 4 th line (22.1 Km)                                         | Souther n   |   258.31 | 115.4 6   | 80      | Tiruvottiyur- Ennore-Attipattu Pudunagar (11.3 Km) commissioned. Earthwork and bridge works on remaining section taken up. State Government has to expedite handing over of balance land.   |
|------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------|----------|-----------|---------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|    3 | Chengalpattu -Villupuram (103 Km) including Tambaram- Chengalpattu 3 rd line (30 Km) | Souther n   |   951.24 | 639.3     | 113.5 7 | 103 Km doubling commissioned. Earthwork and bridgeworks on Tambaram- Chengalpattu 3 rd line have been taken up.                                                                             |
|    4 | Villupuram- Dindigul with electrificatio n (273 Km)                                  | Souther n   |  1500    | 1580. 43  | 100     | 245 Km commissioned. Work on remaining portion i.e. Kalpattichatram- Tamaraipadi is in advance stage.                                                                                       |
|    5 | Omalur- Mettur Dam with electrificatio n (29.03 Km)                                  | Souther n   |   231.67 | 65.02     | 97.56   | Land acquisition, earthwork, bridge works have been taken up. State Govt. to expedite handing over of balance land.                                                                         |

|   6. | Thanjavur- Ponmalai (46.96 Km) with a bye- pass line before Ponmallai (1.13 Km)   | Souther n   | 455.9 6   | 255   |   20 | Bye-pass line (2.2 Km) commissioned in 2017. Earthwork, blanketing and bridge works taken up in Thanjavur- Ponmalai section.   |
|------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------|-----------|-------|------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|    7 | Chennai Central- Basin Bridge Junction - 5 th & 6 th line (2.2 Km)                | Souther n   | 25        | 8.42  |  0.3 | Preparation of Detailed Project Report taken up.                                                                               |
|    8 | Trivandrum- Kanniyaku mari (86.56 Km)                                             | Souther n   | 1431      | ..    | 50   | Detailed estimate has been sanctioned.                                                                                         |
|    9 | Madurai- Maniyachi- Tuticorin (160 Km)                                            | Souther n   | 1182      | …     | 30   | Earthwork and bridgeworks taken up.                                                                                            |
|   10 | Maniyachi- Nagercoil (102 Km)                                                     | Souther n   | 1003      | …     | 30   | Detailed estimate of the project has been sanctioned.                                                                          |
|   11 | Salem- Magnesite Jn-Omalur (11 Km)                                                | Souther n   | 114.8 7   | …     |  1   | Detailed project report is under preparation.                                                                                  |

Majority of Railway projects are facing the situation of cost overrun, due to delay in acquisition of land, statutory clearances like forestry and wild life clearances, shifting of services, cutting of trees, construction  of  road  over  bridges  and  road  under  bridges  by  road maintaining  agencies  etc.    Working  out  cost  escalation  or  revenue loss solely on account of delay in land acquisition is not feasible.

(e):  Completion  of  projects  depends  on  a  number  of  factors  such  as acquisition of land, forestry and wildlife clearances, shifting of various services,  construction  of  Road  Over  Bridges/Road  Under  Bridges  by road  maintenance  departments,  apart  from  availability  of  adequate funds.  Since  many  of  these  factors  are  beyond  the  control  of  the Ministry of Railways, it is not feasible to give time lines for completion of all the projects.

To expedite completion of projects, a number of initiatives have been taken to speed up the works like increased allocation of funds through measures like funding by State Governments and other beneficiaries, funding through loan from Institutions like Life Insurance Corporation, execution of projects through Special Purpose Vehicles, etc. Besides these, to reduce delays on account of land acquisition, security issues and forestry clearances etc, meetings with State Officials at various levels  are  held  from  time  to  time.    Field  units  have  also  been empowered  with  further  delegation  of  powers  and  the  contract conditions have been modified to bring efficiency in contract management.

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