No allocation for Wayanad railway

KOZHIKODE: The state budget announced by finance minister T.M. Thomas Isaac on Friday has no allocations for the Wayanad Railway project which has been a regular in the budget for the last few years. There is only one vague statement on the preparation of Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the Thalassery-Mysore railway project through Mananthavadi. It is to be recalled that the UDF government led by Oommen Chandy had allocated Rs 5 crore for the preparation of DPR for the Nilambur-Nanjangud railway project through Wayanad in 2014-2015 budget.

In 2015-2016 the government also had allocated another Rs 1 crore for the formation of a Joint Venture Company with the railways. The project was top in the priority list even when the joint venture company was formed. The LDF government assigned Delhi Metro Rail Corporation the preparation of DPR and also ordered release of Rs  2 crore for initial expenses. The union railway ministry had enlisted the project among a bunch of 30 joint venture projects allocating Rs 3,000 crore (50 percent), it was pointed out.

But the LDF government lost its interest in the Nilambur-Nanjangud project through Sulthan Bathery and started promoting the Thalassery-Mysore railway project through Mananthavadi. The Nilgiri-Wayanad National Highway and Railway Action Council has alleged that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is trying to topple a railway project which was a big dream of people of Wayanad. “Rather than promoting an abandoned project, it was better to link the Nilambur-Nanjangud line with Thalassery. Now he is promoting only the Thalassery-Mysore project of which even a feasibility study is yet to be submitted”, he said.