(a) whether the Governments of Kerala and Karnataka have entered into any understanding/agreement regarding Thalassery-Mysore railway line and if so, the details thereof;
(b) whether the Railway Board has held any discussion with the Government of Kerala in Thiruvananthapuram recently in this regard;
(c) if so, the details thereof;
(d) whether the Railway Board has deputed the Konkan Railway Corporation for the feasibility study of this line; and
(e) if so, the details thereof?
MINISTER OF RAILWAYS AND COAL
(SHRI PIYUSH GOYAL)
(a) to (e): A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.
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STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (e) OF STARRED QUESTION NO. 77 BY SHRI MULLAPPALLY RAMACHANDRAN TO BE ANSWERED IN LOK SABHA ON 20.12.2017 REGARDING THALASSERY-MYSORE RAIL LINE
(a): Government of Kerala and Karnataka had joint meeting on 09.11.2017 at Bengaluru wherein following decision was taken:
“Permission to survey would depend upon the type of survey to be conducted and therefore, Government of Kerala should send a proposal to Government of Karnataka. If it entails no disturbance of the wildlife areas, the Forest and Revenue Departments would assist Government of Kerala to give permission and conduct the survey. Once the survey is done and it is seen that the line does not disturb the wildlife and is environmentally feasible, then further action with regard to formation of the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) can be taken.”
(b) and (c): Meeting of Chairman, Railway Board with Hon’ble Chief Minister, Government of Kerala was held at Thiruvananthapuram on 27.10.2017 and the issue regarding development of Thalassery-Mysore new broad gauge line was discussed. It was decided that Detailed Project Report (DPR) should be prepared and submitted to State Government and Ministry of Railways by 31.12.2017.
(d) and (e): No Madam. Kerala Rail Development Corporation Limited (KRDCL), a Joint Venture Company of Government of Kerala and Ministry of Railways have nominated “Konkan Railway Corporation Limited” to take up the work of preparation of feasibility study and DPR for this new rail line from Thalassery to Mysore.
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