Completion of the much-delayed doubling work via Kottayam and Alappuzha to Ernakulam and that of Thiruvananthapuram Central-Kanyakumari corridor has made it to the priority list of the 2019-2020 Union Budget.
However, Kerala’s hopes of a better deal in the outlay for the State’s rail development was dashed, with many projects including the Nemom coaching terminal and viable projects on cost-sharing failing to make it to the Pink Book.
The doubling works via Kottayam, Alappuzha and from Thiruvananthapuram to Kanyakumari has got an allocation of ₹284 crore. Land acquisition has not commenced on the Kerala side of the 86.56-km line to Kanyakumari.
For the doubling work via Alappuzha, only the 18.13-km Haripad-Ambalapuzha sector has got the Railway’s approval. The other three corridors, entangled in dispute over cost sharing between State and Railways, got ₹21 crore.
Doubling via Kottayam to Ernakulam is likely to miss the 2019 target with another 3.5 hectares yet to be handed over to the Railways for the project, Divisional Railway Manager, Shirish Kumar Sinha told The Hindu on Friday.
With elections to the Lok Sabha round the corner, a major outlay was expected for the Nemom coaching terminal. Though the Pink Book is silent on the outlay, Railway officials say ₹5 crore will be given from the ₹17.5 crore allocated to the Southern Railway for the terminal development.
The third railway line from Ernakulam to Shoranur with an estimated cost of ₹1,518 crore has been allocated ₹1 crore. The ambitious 116-km Sabari railway line from Angamaly to Erumely got a meagre ₹1 crore allocation.
Kochuveli yard has been given ₹28 lakh and the third Pitline at Ernakulam, ₹2.96 crore. Automatic coach washing unit at Kochuveli and Ernakulam has got ₹3.39 crore. But the proposal for two platforms and stabling line at Kochuveli, at a cost of ₹33 crore, and two pit lines and a stabling line at Palakkad Town has failed to make it to the Pink Book.
Last year, the State got an outlay of ₹9,23 crore as compared to ₹1,206 crore in 2017-18.