MARGAO
Addressing the media moments after the presentation of the Budget by the Railway Minister, KRC Sr Public Relations Manager, Baban Ghatge, along with Regional Railway Manager, Linga Raju, said the long-pending dream of connecting the Konkan region by rail to Kholapur will finally come true.
He said that Goa and Margao in particular may not have received any goodies in the railway budget, but Ghatge reminded that the Railway Minister had given four new trains to Goa last year, including the Rajdhani and double decker, though there was no provision made in the budget.
“In another historical Rail Budget presented by Suresh Prabhu, he has once again taken care of the Konkan region by gifting a new rail line to be constructed between Vaibhavwadi station on Konkan Railway and Kolhapur on Central Railway. This work will be done on a cost-sharing basis by Indian Railway along with Maharashtra government. With the construction of this line, the ports of Konkan region will get a shorter link into the agricultural and industrial heartland of Maharashtra and Northern Karnataka. This will lead to faster development of the ports and consequential benefits to Konkan region by way of more jobs and economic prosperity,” he added.
The new 108-km rail line is expected to be completed within 55 months.
Similarly, he said the Railway Minister has sanctioned a new line between Talkopa-Hanovar on the KR route at a cost of Rs 2,500 crore. The Minister has also announced a rolling shed compound manufacturing and rehabilitation at Ratnagiri at a cost of Rs 300 crore.
