opensansad/lok-sabha-qa huggingface dataset:
Lok Sabha Question No. 3105 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-03-14
Subject: Constitutional Amendment
Ministry: LAW AND JUSTICE
Asked by: UDIT RAJ

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF LAW AND JUSTICE LEGISLATIVE DEPARTMENT

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3105

## TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, 14 TH  MARCH, 2018

## CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT

3105. DR. UDIT RAJ:

Will the Minister of LAW AND JUSTICE be pleased to state:

(a)  whether  the  Government  has  received  any  proposal  for  passing  of  a  Constitutional amendment  with  regard  to  inclusion  of  names  of  elected  Sarpanches  and  Panches  of  Gram Katchary in electoral rolls of local authorities constitutions of Bihar legislative council; and (b) if so, the details thereof and the time by which the Government intends to take action on the said proposal?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR LAW AND JUSTICE AND CORPORATE AFFAIRS (SHRI P.P.CHAUDHARY)

(a) and (b):  Yes, Madam. The Department Related Parliamentary Standing Committee in its 63 rd Report  had, inter-alia, recommended  that  there  is  a  need  for  proper  representation  of  elected representatives of both the Panchayati Raj and Urban Local Self Government bodies and Ward Committees in Legislative Councils of the State. Since the matter is concerned with all the State Governments,  their  comments  were  solicited,  which  are  still  awaited  from  several  States including the State Government of Bihar.

*******
Lok Sabha Question No. 3103 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-03-14
Subject: Jaleswar-Digha New Broad Gauge Line
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: RITA TARAI

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3103 TO BE ANSWERED ON 14.03.2018

## JALESWAR-DIGHA NEW BROAD GAUGE LINE

## 3103. SHRIMATI RITA TARAI

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a)    the  target  date  of  MoR  for  commissioning  of  Jaleswar-Digha new broad gauge rail line;
- (b)  whether it is a fact that land acquisition process for the above line has not so far been started by the South Eastern Railway;
- (c)  if so, the reasons therefor; and
- (d)  the time line fixed for completion of the said project?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## (RAJEN GOHAIN)

- (a)  to  (d):    Jaleswar-Digha  (41  Km)  new  line  was  sanctioned  in 2010-11  at  a  cost  of ` 352.65  crore  with  Rate  of  Return(RoR)  of (-)5.04%.  The progress of the project has, however, been held up due to land acquisition issues.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 3100 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-03-14
Subject: Cases of Assam in CBI
Ministry: PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES AND PENSIONS
Asked by: SIRAJUDDIN AJMAL

## MINISTRY OF PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES AND PENSIONS

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA (DEPARTMENT OF PERSONNEL AND TRAINING)

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3100

(TO BE ANSWERED ON 14.03.2018)

## CASES OF ASSAM IN CBI

## 3100. SHRI SIRAJUDDIN AJMAL:

Will the PRIME MINISTER be pleased to state:

- (a) the number of cases in the State of Assam being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI);
- (b) the time since when these cases are being investigated and the reasons for delay, if any;
- (c) the present status of the case of 'Lafiqul Murder' in BTAD, Assam; and
- (d) the steps taken/being taken by the Government for early investigation and filing of charge sheet in courts?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES AND PENSIONS AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE (DR. JITENDRA SINGH)

(a)  to  (d):    27  cases  (Regular  cases  +  Preliminary  enquiry  )  pertaining  to  State  of  Assam  are being investigated into by the CBI.

The year-wise break up of these  case are as under:-

|   Year |   No. of cases |
|--------|----------------|
|   2006 |              1 |
|   2013 |              2 |
|   2015 |              1 |
|   2016 |              5 |
|   2017 |             15 |
|   2018 |              3 |

There is no delay except in 02 cases pertaining to the year 2006 and 2015. The case of 2006  is  subjudice  on  an  SLP  filed  in  Supreme  Court  and  the  case  of  2015  is  under  stay  by Hon'ble Supreme Court.

The case of 'Lafiqul Murder' in BTAD, Assam is under investigation.

********
Lok Sabha Question No. 3099 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-03-14
Subject: Frequency of Rajdhani between Delhi-Ranchi
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: RAM TAHAL CHOUDHARY

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3099 TO BE ANSWERED ON 14.03.2018

## FREQUENCY OF RAJDHANI BETWEEN DELHI-RANCHI

† 3099. SHRI RAM TAHAL CHOUDHARY:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

(a) whether a demand is being made to run Rajdhani train daily between Delhi and Ranchi;

(b) if so, the details of the action taken by the Government in this regard and the outcome thereof; and

(c)  the  time  by  which  the  Government is likely  to  run  this  train  on  daily basis from Delhi to Ranchi?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## (SHRI RAJEN GOHAIN)

(a)  to  (c)  Yes,  Madam.  Demands  have  been  received  for  increasing  the frequency  of  Ranchi  Rajdhani  Express  to  daily.    The  same  has  been examined but not found feasible due to operational constraints including non-availability  of  path.  However,  to  provide  daily  Rajdhani  service  from Ranchi to Delhi, it has been decided to provide stoppage of 22823/22824 Bhubaneswar-New Delhi Rajdhani Express (4 days a week) at Muri w.e.f. 16.03.2018.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 3098 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-03-14
Subject: Prompt Response to Communications of Ex-MPs
Ministry: PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES AND PENSIONS
Asked by: DARSHANA VIKRAM JARDOSH

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES AND PENSIONS (DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATIVE REFORMS & PUBLIC GRIEVANCES)

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3098

(TO BE ANSWERED ON 14.03.2018)

## PROMPT RESPONSE TO COMMUNICATIONS OF EX-MPS

## 3098. SHRIMATI DARSHANA VIKRAM JARDOSH:

Will the PRIME MINISTER be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has any guidelines for the Government Departments/PSUs and other  entities  to  take  appropriate  and  prompt  action  and  subsequently  reply  to  the communications of former Members of Parliament (MPs);
- (b) if so, the details thereof and if not, whether the Government contemplates to issue such guidelines;
- (c) if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) whether  such  advisory  would  also  be  issued  to  the  State  Governments  and  if  so,  the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES AND PENSIONS AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE (DR. JITENDRA SINGH)

(a) to (c):   The procedure for carrying out official work in Central Government  offices has been laid down in the 14 th Edition of Central Secretariat Manual of Office Procedure(CSMOP).  The para 37(v) of CSMOP deals with the replies to ex-MPs, which states as under:-

'  In  case,  a  reference  from  an  ex-Member of Parliament is addressed to  a Minister or Secretary, reply to such reference may be sent by a Joint Secretary level officer after obtaining approval of the Secretary of the Ministry /Department .  In case the reference is addressed to a lower level officer, reply to such reference could be sent by the officer on his own in non-policy cases  and  after  obtaining  approval  of  the  higher  authorities  in  policy  cases.    However,  the minimum level at which reply could be sent should be that of an Under Secretary and that too in a polite letter form only.'

The  instructions  contained  in  the  CSMOP  are  reiterated  from  time  to  time  by  the Department  of  Administrative  Reforms  and  Public  Grievances  stressing  on  the  need  for following its provisions including acknowledging the communications received from MPs within 15 days, followed by a reply within next 15 days of acknowledgement sent.

- (d):   Under the federal principle the State Governments have their own separate sets of Manuals of Office Procedure for their offices.

*******
Lok Sabha Question No. 3097 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-03-14
Subject: Modern Coach Factory in Raebareli
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: K. MARAGATHAM

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3097 TO BE ANSWERED ON 14.03.2018

## MODERN COACH FACTORY IN RAEBARELI

3097. SHRIMATI K. MARAGATHAM:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Railways is considering to expand the capacity of the modern coach factory in Raebareli from 1,000 to 5,000 coaches every year;
- (a) if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether  in  the  next  four-five  years,  the  Integrated  Coach  Factory  (ICF) will become history and if so, the reasons therefor;
- (c) whether  the  Railways  is  considering  to  expand  the  production  for  LHB coaches at ICF factory in Chennai to over 6,000 coaches a year; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof?

## 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.

*****

STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN REPLY TO PARTS  (a) TO (e) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3097 BY SHRIMATI K. MARAGATHAM TO BE ANSWERED IN LOK SABHA ON 14.03.2018 REGARDING MODERN COACH FACTORY IN RAEBARELI (a) &  (b)  No,  Madam.  However,  a  work  for  expanding  the  capacity  of Modern  Coach  Factory  Rae  Bareli  from  existing  1000  coaches  per annum to 2000 coaches per annum has been included in Pink Book 2018-19. (b) (c) There  is  no  proposal  under  consideration  for  winding  up  Integrated Coach Factory (ICF). In fact, a work for expanding the capacity of ICF has been included in Pink Book 2018-19. (d) No, Madam. (e) Does not arise. (c)

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 3094 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-03-14
Subject: Village Resource Centres
Ministry: SPACE
Asked by: DUSHYANT CHAUTALA

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA DEPARTMENT OF SPACE

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3094

TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2018

## VILLAGE RESOURCE CENTRES

3094.   SHRI DUSHYANT CHAUTALA:

Will the PRIME MINISTER be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Indian Space Research Organisation has established Village Resource Centres with the aim of providing services such as tele-healthcare, tele-education, natural resources information, advisories related to agriculture, career guidance  to  rural  students,  skill  development  and  vocational training, etc.;
- (b) if  so,  the  details  thereof  and  the  total  number  of  villages identified by the Government for this purpose;
- (c) whether  the  Government  has  constituted  any  mechanism  to analyse the outcome of this plan;
- (d) if so, the details thereof and whether the Government has also decided to expand the scheme all over the country; and
- (e)
- if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PERSONNEL, PG &

PENSIONS AND IN THE PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE

(DR. JITENDRA SINGH):

- (a) Yes Madam.
- (b) VRCs  were  set  up  to  demonstrate  the  potential  of  satellite technology for development of rural areas. ISRO had established Village Resource Centres (VRCs) on a pilot scale, in association with selected NGOs, Trusts and State Government Departments.  VRCs  have  provided  various  space technology enabled services such as tele-healthcare, tele-education, natural resources information, advisories related  to  agriculture  career  guidance  to  rural  students,  skill development  and  vocational  training  etc.  473  VRCs  were established around the country.

## (c), (d) & (e)

A study was conducted by Social Research Division, Development and Educational Communication Unit, ISRO through rapid sample survey during 2015 and it was observed that  70%  of  the  participants  found  it  useful.  Department  of Space is willing to consider if any proposals are received for VRCs, in the areas where other terrestrial connectivity are not available in the country.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 3093 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-03-14
Subject: Skilling Exercise for Railways Employees
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: ELUMALAI VELLAIGOUNDER

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3093 TO BE ANSWERED ON 14.03.2018

## SKILLING EXERCISE FOR RAILWAYS EMPLOYEES

3093.  SHRI V. ELUMALAI:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Railways  has  considered  to  launch  skilling  exercise for  its  employees  to  upgrade  skills  with  a  single  drive  spanning nine months;
- (b) If so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the Railways has sent instructions to all General Managers of zones and production units to identify the course for training and formulate the plan on priority; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

(SHRI RAJEN GOHAIN)

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

*****

STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PARTS  (a)  TO  (d)  OF UNSTARRED  QUESTION  NO.  3093  BY  SHRI  V.  ELUMALAI  TO  BE ANSWERED  IN  LOK  SABHA  ON  14.03.2018  REGARDING  SKILLING EXERCISE FOR RAILWAYS EMPLOYEES

(a)  to (d) Yes, Madam.  General Managers of all Zonal Railways and Production  Units  were  instructed  to  identify  training  needs  and formulate a planned training calendar for each category of employee under PROJECT SAKSHAM.  This Project has already been launched from 01.01.2018. The  training  programmes  under  PROJECT  SAKSHAM  are  aimed  at improving efficiency, boosting productivity and overall performance of Indian  Railways.    This  is  a  five-day  on  the  job  training  or  classroom training project for all the employees of Indian Railways.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 3092 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-03-14
Subject: Skilling Youths
Ministry: MINORITY AFFAIRS
Asked by: BHEEMRAO BASWANTHRAO PATIL

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF MINORITY AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3092 TO BE ANSWERED ON 14.03.2018

## Skilling Youths

## 3092.  SHRI BHEEMRAO B. PATIL:

Will the Minister of MINORITY AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  has  any  programmes  for  improving  the  skills  and  capacities  of unemployed youths of minority community to facilitate their entry into the areas of higher research and institutions of national importance; and
- (b) if so, the details thereof along with their outcome thereof, State-wise?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF MINORITY AFFAIRS (SHRI MUKHTAR ABBAS NAQVI)

- (a)  to  (b): No, Madam. There is no such specific skill scheme for minority youth to facilitate their entry into the areas of higher research and institutions of national importance.  However, Ministry implements following schemes for pursuing higher research and institutions of National importance for minority students:-
- (i) Merit-cum-Mean based Scholarship Scheme: The merit-cum-means scholarship scheme is awarded for pursuing professional and technical courses, at under-graduate and post-graduate levels, in institutions recognized by the appropriate authority. Under the scheme, 30% of these scholarships are earmarked for girl students. To be eligible, students should not have annual family income more than Rs.2.50 lakh and he/she should have secured minimum 50% marks in previous class.
- (ii) Maulana Azad National Fellowship: The objective of the scheme is to provide integrated five  year fellowships in the form of financial assistance to students from minority communities to pursue higher studies such as M.Phil and Ph.D. To be eligible, the annual income of the family from all  sources  should not exceed Rs.2.50 lakh. 30% of the fellowships are earmarked for eligible girl students. The scheme is being implemented through University Grants Commission (UGC) in Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode.

The  details  of  schemes/guidelines  and  achievements  are  available  on  the  website  of  this Ministry ( www.minorityaffairs.gov.in ).

******
Lok Sabha Question No. 3091 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-03-14
Subject: Gauge Conversion
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: BHARAT SINGH, AJAY (TENI) MISRA

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK  SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3091 TO BE ANSWERED ON 14.03.2018

## GAUGE CONVERSION

† 3091.   SHRI BHARAT SINGH:

- SHRI AJAY MISRA TENI: Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:
- (a) whether the Government is considering conversion of metre gauge line linking Dudhwa National Park and Kartaniya Ghat between  Bahraich  and  Mailani  to  heritage  line  in  order  to promote tourism;
- (b)
- if so the details thereof; and
- (c) the time by which the said project is targeted for completion?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS (SHRI RAJEN GOHAIN)

- (a) to (c): Gauge  conversion work  of Bahraich-Mailani section (passing  through  Dudhwa  National  Park  and  Kartaniya  Ghat)  was included  in  Pink  Book  2016-17  subject  to  requisite  Government approvals. Detailed Project Report (DPR) has been prepared for gauge conversion.  However,  Government  of  Uttar  Pradesh  has  desired  to retain Meter Gauge line from Nanpara to Mailani. Further, consideration of the proposal would be feasible once the decision on the merit of the proposal is finalized.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 3090 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-03-14
Subject: Cargo Container Business
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: ADVOCATE NARENDRA KESHAV SAWAIKAR

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3090 TO BE ANSWERED ON 14.03.2018

## CARGO CONTAINER BUSINESS

3090.  ADV. NARENDRA KESHAV SAWAIKAR:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of container cargo handled by the Railways during the last three years;
- (b)  whether the business handled by the Railways is much  less than the cargo handled by the roadways;
- (c) if so, the details thereof together with the reasons therefor;
- (d)  whether  charges  of  railway  containers  are  much  higher  than charges of roadways; and
- (e) if so, whether the Government would consider reduction in charges to make them competitive and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## (SHRI RAJEN GOHAIN)

- (a) The details of container cargo handled by the Railways during the last three years in Million Tons (MT) are as under:

| Year    |   Domestic Traffic (in MT) |   Exim Traffic (in MT) |   Total (In MT) |
|---------|----------------------------|------------------------|-----------------|
| 2014-15 |                      10.5  |                  38.34 |           48.84 |
| 2015-16 |                       9.06 |                  37.13 |           46.19 |
| 2016-17 |                       9.68 |                  37.81 |           47.49 |

(b) & (c) Authentic data of traffic from other modes of transport mainly road  is  not  completely  available  and  hence  not  strictly  comparable with  the  rail  traffic.  For  door  to  door  service  as  well  as  short  lead traffic, road transport is preferred. Whereas, for long distance and bulk traffic,  rail  mode  is  preferred.  Therefore,  the  market  share  of  traffic transported by rail is difficult to assess accurately. d) & (e)  At present, charging of container transported by rail is done as under: (i)  Notified  commodities  are  charged  at  Container  Class  Rate  (CCR) which is General tariff rate minus 15%. (ii) The container haulage charge at FAK (freight all kind). This rate is approximately  30%  cheaper  than  break-even  class  of  normal  goods traffic i.e. class-100. Moreover Busy season charge, which is levied @ 15% on all commodities for nine months in a year, is not levied since 01.03.2015 despite increase in input cost over these years. The  freight  rates  of  container  traffic  are  not  comparable  with  road transport as container rates are fixed on the basis of firm principle and uniformly  applicable  across  the  traffic.  On  the  other  hand,  tariff  for road  sectors  are  not  based  on  any  firm  principle  and  can  vary  from operator to operator according to demands and other ancillary factors and are negotiable at times.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 3089 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-03-14
Subject: High Powered Locos
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: RAKSHA NIKHIL KHADSE

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3089 TO BE ANSWERED ON 14.03.2018

## HIGH POWERED LOCOS

3089. SHRIMATI RAKSHATAI KHADSE:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

(a) whether  the  Government  proposes  to  develop  high  speed  and  high powered  locomotives  for  Railways  under  Public  Private  Partnership(PPP) mode ;

(b) if  so,  the  details  of  the  features  designed  to  enhance  efficiency  for these locomotives;

(c) whether the Government has identified the location(s) for establishing the manufacturing activity for these locomotives, and

(d) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

(SHRI RAJEN GOHAIN)

(a) Yes, Madam. Ministry of Railways has signed agreements for manufacturing  and  maintenance  of  high power freight Electric and Diesel ….contd 2

Locomotives  under  Joint  Venture  (JV)  with  Alstom  and  General  Electric respectively.  Ministry  of  Railways  has  26%  equity  in  each  of  these  JVs. Being freight Locomotives, these are not considered as high speed.

(b) Electric Locomotives: Quantity - 800 nos.

Features: Horse power-12000 hp, Twin Bo-Bo configuration, Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT) technology, Axle load-22.5 tonnes upgradable to 25  tonnes,    maximum  operational  speed  -  100  kmph  upgradable  to  120 kmph, energy efficient, regenerative braking etc.

Diesel Locomotives: Quantity-1000 nos.

Features:  Horse  power-4500  hp  and  6000  hp  variants,  Minimum  42% starting  adhesion  factor,  speed  potential  of  100  kmph,  electronic  fuel injection  with  test  bed  full  load  brake  specific  fuel  consumption  of  150 gms/bhphr. Lube oil consumption of maximum 0.5% of fuel oil consumption. AC-AC-3 phase transmission with Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT) based traction inverters, engine-driven traction alternator-rectifier.

(c  &  d)  Electric  Locomotives:  Electric  Locomotive  Factory  at  Madhepura, Bihar.

Diesel Locomotives: Diesel Locomotive Factory at Marhowra, Bihar.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 3087 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-03-14
Subject: Kannur-Mattanur Airport Rail Line
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: P.K.SREEMATHI TEACHER

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3087 TO BE ANSWERED ON 14.03.2018

## KANNUR-MATTANUR AIRPORT RAIL LINE

## 3087.  SHRIMATI P.K. SREEMATHI TEACHER:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS  be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  has  decided  to  commence  work  on Kannur-Mattanur airport railway line; and
- (b) if  so,  the  details  thereof  and  the  present  status  of  the  project proposal?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## (SHRI RAJEN GOHAIN)

- (a)  and  (b):  No  project  for  Kannur-Mattanur  new  line  is  sanctioned.  As such,  there  is  no  proposal  to  commence  any    work  for  this  new  line proposal.

Kannur-Mattanur  new  line  proposal  has  been  included  in  Capital Investment  Programme  2016-17  with  the  proposal  to  take  up  the projects  through  Joint  Ventures/Special  Purpose  Vehicle  /Partnership with the State Governments & Stake Holders. In this regard, no proposal from Government of Kerala has been received.

Meanwhile,  survey  for  this  new  line  was  also  conducted  during 2016-17. As per the survey report cost of construction of 23 Km long new line has been assessed as ` 312.99 crore with rate of return of (-) 7.786%. This proposal could not be taken forward due to unremunerative nature and low traffic potential of the proposed new line.

*****