Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw recently pointed out that five crucial railway ventures in Karnataka are facing major setbacks due to sluggish land procurement. Out of the 8,969 hectares needed for these developments, only 5,657 hectares have been secured so far—leaving over 3,300 hectares pending acquisition.
One of the affected projects is the Harihara–Honnali–Shivamogga line, spanning 79 km and valued at ₹832 crore. Despite being approved under a 50:50 cost-sharing model between the Centre and state, progress remains halted as Karnataka has neither contributed its financial share nor handed over the required 488 hectares of land.
The 96-km Shivamogga–Rannebennur route also suffers from similar issues, with just 226 hectares acquired out of 559. Alarmingly, zero land acquisition has taken place for three other new rail lines—Belagavi–Dharwad (73 km), Whitefield–Kolar (53 km), and Hassan–Belur (27 km).
Minister Vaishnaw stressed that while the Central Government has allocated significant funds for Karnataka’s railway expansion, delays are primarily caused by administrative bottlenecks. These include slow-moving forest clearances, shifting of public utilities, regulatory approvals, geographical constraints, and security-related complications.
Though financing isn’t the issue, lack of coordination between departments and procedural inertia continue to stall the progress of these vital rail corridors. The minister urged state authorities to fast-track clearances and land handovers to ensure timely execution of the projects.