Bagalakote: The Bagalakote-Kudachi Rail Project, which was to be constructed at a cost of Rs. 726 Crore, has been sanctioned due to inaction on the part of the Central and State Governments and the irresponsibility of the politicians. It is a matter of shame that Rs. 3,000 Crore has been spent. Rail Action Committee President Qutubuddin Qazi warned the Government that if the construction of the railway tracks on the land acquired by the State Government is not completed by December 15, they will launch a fierce protest from December 17.
Speaking at a public meeting held at Sri Mallikarjuna Community Hall in Rabakavi in the District on Sunday November 27, he said that due to the project constructed up to Khajjidoni in 2016, train services have started only from Bagalakote to Khajjidoni. Due to the negligence and irresponsibility of the people’s representatives in Bilagi, Mudhol, Jamakhandi and Rabakavi-Banahatti Taluks, the people there are deprived of train services. Also there has been no maintenance works being done for construction of the next line so far, he alleged.
“The farmers who have been given land should be given a fair price and one person in the family should be given a job. For the last three years, three Ministers from our region have only been making promises. Bagalakote and Jamkhandi ACs have acquired land. The Central Government will get 30 per cent of its annual revenue from the scheme. Though this is the highest profitable Railway Line in India the Central Government is doing injustice to the people of our region by not taking quick action on this project. In view of this, Qazi announced that if the railway authorities were not given a deadline till December 15 to start the work, they would stage a half-naked protest in front of the Bagalakote Deputy Commissioner’s office on December 17, then on December 18 at Khajjidoni, suspend the existing commercial train services at Khajjidoni and on December 19, and also they would stage a protest and block all the people’s representatives going to Lokapur for Belagavi session on December 19.
