Tamil Nadu to benefit from over 20 railway projects in pipeline

Giving a detailed list of railway projects implemented in Tamil Nadu since the second half of the previous tenure of the NDA, Goyal said that from 2016-17 till June 1, 2019, about 409 route kilometres of railway network has been commissioned on electric traction in Tamil Nadu.

“At present, 70 railway electrification projects of 26,375 route kilometres costing Rs 34,167 crore, including in Tamil Nadu, are in different stages of execution. Of the 11,641 route kilometres of railway network commissioned in electric traction, 409 route kilometers fall in the State of Tamil Nadu,” Goyal said.

The Minister went about listing the government’s achievements while responding to pointed queries raised by MPs Selvaraj from Nagapattinam and Su Thirunavukkarasar from Tiruchy in Parliament.

Going by the Minister’s statement, of the 491 railway projects, including 189 new lines, 55 gauge conversion and 247 doubling projects, about 22 projects (9 new lines, 5 gauge conversion and eight doubling) of 2,509km length costing Rs 21,829 crore falling partly/fully in Tamil Nadu are in different stages of planning/approval/implementation.

Southern Railway has also achieved significantly in gauge conversion with 606 km of the total 3,798 km in the country being commissioned in Tamil Nadu till March 2019. During the period, the Railway ministry has sanctioned 150 road-over-bridges, of which 50 have been completed and commissioned in Tamil Nadu.

Goyal also listed out a host of reasons contributing to the timely completion of railway projects. Foremost among them was the quick land acquisition by the State government, forest clearance by Forest department officials, shifting of infringing utilities, statutory clearance by various authorities, geological and topographical conditions of area, law and order situation in the project area, availability of working months due to climatic considerations, labour strikes, excessive rains, court orders and conditions of working agencies.

The Minister’s elaboration comes in the backdrop of a heated political debate between the ruling and opposition camps in the State over the ruling BJP overlooking Tamil Nadu for largely voting against it in the recently concluded Parliamentary polls.