Modi lacks info on Karnataka rail projects: RV Deshpande
Narendra Modi, who during his recent visit to Bidar, had said that Karnataka had not shown the commitment to implement railway projects.
Bengaluru: Major industries and infrastructure minister, R.V. Deshpande on Tuesday sought to counter Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, who during his recent visit to Bidar, had said that Karnataka had not shown the commitment to implement railway projects.
Backed with data, Mr Deshpande said that the state government bore 50 per cent of the cost of the Bidar-Kalaburgi line which was pegged at Rs 1542.41 crore.
In all, the state government had released Rs 589.01 crore in four instalments, the minister said adding that then railway minister, C.K. Jaffer Sharief, had shown keen interest in the project and so did Mallikarjun Kharge when took over the railway ministry in 2013.
“If any leader including the Prime Minister thinks that the state government is solely responsible for the delay, it is perhaps due to lack of information. The state was not only committed to implement the project, it released funds dutifully,” he said.