Kerala proposes more trains ahead of budget
The railways had an expenditure budget of Rs 1.55 crore.
Thiruvananthapuram: The state government has submitted various proposals to the centre for inclusion in the railway budget to be presented on February 25. They include making Thiruvananthapuram-Nizamuddeen Rajadhani Express and Janshatabdi Thiruvananthapuram-Kottayam-Kannur as daily trains.
Currently, the Janshatabdi Thiruvananthapuram-Kottayam-Kannur train operates five times a week and Thiruvananthapuram-Nizamuddeen Rajadhani Express thrice a week. There is also a demand for making Nilambur-Thiruvananthapuram Rajya Rani Express an independent train service. Now Rajya Rani Express is connected to Amrutha Express from Palakkad town to Thiruvananthapuram central.
The state government has also sought a Bharath Theertha train connecting Thiruvananthapuram-Madurai-Velankanni, Thiruvananthapuram-Mangaluru Intercity Express and Kanyakumari-Goa tourist train. It has decided to seek the extension of trains terminating at Pollachi to Palakkad, Byndoor –Kasargod passenger train to Guruvayur and Yashwanthpur – Hassan –Kannur train to Kozhikode.
All-Kerala Railway Users’ Association president K. J. Paul Manvettom told Deccan Chronicle that the state should have given priority to starting a daily train from Thiruvananthapuram to Guwahati.
At present two pairs of trains operate between the destinations. This is because around 800 passengers occupy each general coach of these trains. Some 130 passengers on the waiting list travel on the floors of the second sleeper coaches of each service, Mr Manvattom said. The daily train should have 24 coaches with only two two-tier AC coaches. The rest should be general compartments and second sleeper coaches, he said.
The government had sought funds of Rs 602 crore during the pre-railway budget meeting for railway development activities in the state. All-Kerala Railway Passengers' Association general-secretary Mathew Paul told DC that usually Rs 200-350 crore is allocated to the state annually in the railway budget.
This is grossly insufficient. Last year, the railway ministry had allocated Rs 550 crore for the state. The railways had an expenditure budget of Rs 1.55 crore. Population-wise, the state has three percent of the country’s population and is entitled to Rs 4,500 crore. Area-wise it has 1.1 percent of the population and is entitled to Rs 1,700 crore, Mr Paul said.
Union Minister Suresh Prabhu, during the pre-railway budget meeting held in December 2015, had made it clear that the demand for a peninsular railway zone could not be entertained.
However, the centre had promised to look into the other demands, including the coach factory at Kanjikode in Palakkad which was announced in the railway budget in 2008-09. The government has already transferred 239 acres of land to the railways by receiving '33.70 crore as its price.
The coach factory was announced along with a rail wheel plant at Chhapra, rail coach factory at Rae Bareli, and a diesel component factory at Dankuni. All except Kanjikode have become realities.
The state now has the advantage of forming a joint venture company with 51 per cent stake of the state government and 49 per cent stake of the railways. The company will be fully owned by the government and it will primarily identify projects and possible financing avenues in addition to union government and the state government.
This will give financial leverage to the company to exploit the commercial potential of the land. Earlier, the ownership of the land vested with railways. After the finances for a project are tied up, the project specific special purpose vehicles (SPV) will be formed.
These SPVs can have other stakeholders from industries, central PSUs and state PSU. However, the joint venture company will have a mandatory stake of a minimum 26 per cent shares in the SPVs.
The ownership of the land acquired for rail development will vest with the special purpose vehicle (SPV) formed with state government and the railway ministry.
The state government has decided to take up on a priority basis Thiruvananthapuram-Chengannur suburban service and the Nilambur-Nanjengode service for the SPV. It has accorded ‘in-principle’ sanction for the introduction of suburban services in Thiruvananthapuram-Chengannur/ Harippad sector in phase-I by installing automatic signalling for running air-conditioned MEMU/EMU rakes on this corridor.