Bengaluru: Karnataka Forest Department officials have not responded positively for the proposed Nilambur-Nanjangud railway line. Principal Advisor to Delhi Metro Rail Corporation E Sreedharan met Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to discuss a joint survey for the proposed Nilambur-Nanjangud railway line on Friday.
“The response from the forest department is not encouraging. However, the state government has not rejected the proposal for the joint survey for the proposed Nilambur-Nanjangud railway line,’’ Sreedharan said on the side lines a seminar organised by Foundation for Restoration of National Values at a hotel in Bangalore on Saturday.
The railway line, proposed nearly a decade ago, was in cold storage till the Kerala State Government asked Sreedharan to prepare a detailed project report for the project. “We have to conduct the survey on the project. We requested Karnataka Government to allow us to conduct the survey. The forest department officials have genuine concern. We have offered a solution. A final decision has to be taken by the Karnataka Government,’’ Sreedharan said.
He said care would be taken not to disturb fauna and flora in Bandipur reserve forest area. “We have proposed to have a 19-km tunnel in the forest area for the proposed railway line,’’ he said.
While the railway made a proposal for 236-km project at a cost of Rs 6,000 crore, Sreedharan conducted a survey and proposed a 154-km route at a cost of Rs 3,500 crore.
The Kerala State Government and the railways signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on December 10, 2015 in New Delhi to execute the project on a cost-sharing basis. As per the MoU, a joint venture company will work on the project. The railway line connecting Kerala and Karnataka is expected to bring down travel time between Sayanad and Mysore to one hour and between Wayanad and Bengalore to three hours.
