Lok Sabha Question No. 3548 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-08-08
Subject: Railway Projects in Kerala
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: M. B. RAJESH

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3548 TO BE ANSWERED ON 08.08.2018

## RAILWAY PROJECTS IN KERALA

## 3548. SHRI M.B. RAJESH:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS  be pleased to state:

- (a) the status of various projects including wagon factory, medical college and bottling plant in Kerala;
- (b) whether  the  Government  has  abandoned  or  deferred  these projects; and
- (c) if  so,  the  present  status  of  these  projects  along  with  funds allocated for the same and utilised in the last three years ?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## (SHRI RAJEN GOHAIN)

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

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STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (c) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION  NO.  3548  BY  SHRI  M.B.  RAJESH  TO  BE  ANSWERED  IN  LOK SABHA ON 08.08.2018 REGARDING  RAILWAY PROJECTS IN KERALA

## (a)  to  (c):  Details  of  New  Line,  Gauge  Conversion  and  Doubling  projects falling fully/partly in Kerala are as under:-

( ` in crore)

| S. No.   | Project                       | Anticipated cost   | Expenditure incurred during last three years   | Outlay 2018- 19   | Status                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              |
|----------|-------------------------------|--------------------|------------------------------------------------|-------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|          | NEW LINE                      |                    |                                                |                   |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     |
| 1.       | Tirunavaya- Guruvayur (35 Km) | 477                | 8.83                                           | 10                | Government of Kerala has approved alignment in 2009 and Final Location Survey (FLS) for first 8 Km completed. Balance FLS is held up due to public protest.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         |
| 2.       | Angamali- Sabrimala (116 Km)  | 2815.62            | 84.44                                          | 219.90            | On this project, work on Angamali-Kaladi section (7 Km) is stuck for want of 0.6 hectare land. For balance length, land acquisition has delayed due to protest by local people against fixing of alignment of the project in Kottayam District. In view of considerable increase in project cost due to abnormal increase in land cost, Government of Kerala has been requested for their consent to share 50% cost of the project. |

|    | GAUGE CONVERSION                                                 |        |        |       |                                                                                                                                      |
|----|------------------------------------------------------------------|--------|--------|-------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1  | Quilon- Tirunelveli- Tiruchendur &Tenkasi- Virudhunagar (357 Km) | 1220   | 251.25 | 48    | Commissioned                                                                                                                         |
| 2  | Dindigul- Pollachi- Palghat and Pollachi- Coimbatore (225 Km)    | 1120   | 123.23 | 22.87 | Commissioned                                                                                                                         |
|    | DOUBLING                                                         |        |        |       |                                                                                                                                      |
| 1  | Mulanturutti- Kuruppantara (24 Km)                               | 241.48 | 71.58  | 5.50  | Commissioned                                                                                                                         |
| 2  | Kuruppantara - Chingavanam (27 Km)                               | 457    | 246.5  | 56.50 | Work on Kuruppantara- Ettumannur (8 Km) taken up. State Government has to expedite handing over of 7.49 hectare of land to Railways. |
| 3  | Chingavanam- Chengannur (27 Km)                                  | 436    | 126.28 | 17.90 | Chengannur- Changanassery section (17 Km) commissioned. Work on balance section taken up.                                            |
| 4  | Ernakulam- Kumbalam (7.71 Km)                                    | 189    | 0.34   | 6     | In view of considerable increase in project cost due to abnormal rise in cost of land, Government of Kerala was requested            |

|    |                                              |      |        |        | for free land and sharing 50% of construction cost of the project. However, State Government has not agreed to Railway's request.                                                                                                                           |
|----|----------------------------------------------|------|--------|--------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|  5 | Kumbalam- Turavur(15.59 Km)                  |  253 | 2.9    |  15    | In view of considerable increase in project cost due to abnormal rise in cost of land, Government of Kerala was requested for free land and sharing 50% of construction cost of the project. However, State Government has not agreed to Railway's request. |
|  6 | Turavur- Ambalapuzha (50 Km)                 |  829 | 0.55   |   5.15 | The consent of State Government for cost sharing and providing free land is awaited.                                                                                                                                                                        |
|  7 | Ambalapuzha- Haripad(18.13 Km)               |  289 | 133.16 |  10.5  | Earthwork, bridges & ballast supply works have been taken up.                                                                                                                                                                                               |
|  8 | Thiruvananthapuram -Kanniyakumari (86.50 Km) | 1432 | 0.92   | 110    | Earthwork, bridges & ballast supply works have been taken up.                                                                                                                                                                                               |
|  9 | Shoranur- Ernakulam(107 Km)                  | 1518 | …      |   0.1  | New project included in the Budget 2018-19.                                                                                                                                                                                                                 |

The  proposal of setting up of Railway Medical Colleges including  in Trivandrum (Kerala) on Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode as announced in  Railway  Budget  Speech  of  2009-10,  has  been  dropped  by  the  Ministry because  as  per  Medical  Council  of  India  rules,  Public  Private  Partnership with Government (Railways) hospital is not permitted.

No  project  for  wagon  factory  in  Kerala  is  sanctioned.    However,  a coach factory  at Palakkad has been sanctioned. Land has been acquired at Palakkad against full payment to the State Government and boundary wall has  been  erected  around  the  acquired  land.    Total  Budget  Grant  of ` 8.54 lakh has been made for this project during the last three years.

As the requirement of mainline train coaches in the near future can be met by the existing production units of Indian Railways,  it is not intended to set up  new coach factories for mainline train coaches in the immediate future.

The Rail Neer Plant at Parassala (near Trivandrum) set up under PPP model with capital expenditure by private party has started production of Rail Neer from March 2016.

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