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Karnataka and Railways - Game for a Praja Initiative!?
Written By kbsyed61 - 16 February, 2009
Bangalore Infrastructure Station railways SWR Karnataka Action Mobilicity
[Forked off from this Karnataka and Railways budget thread]
p_hebburu avare,
I am kind of disagreement to your one of the stated comment about lobbying for More Railway goodies. I think we need to lobby with different kind of strategy. If the old tricks are employed, may be we may get some KA MP assigned as Union Railway minister. May be we get few more trains etc. But that still may not do justice to Karnataka in totality. Regional imbalances in union budgets are going to continue in same manner unless railways moves away from these piecemeal way of introducing new trains or new lines. This is one of the basic reason for such colossal imbalances and then multiplied by political pulls & pushes making it more worse. Terming this as injustice may not be wrong in some context. Even if you look at the states where it is introduced, it hasn't stimulated any increased economic development in majority cases. What should be an ideal thing to happen is to see a Indian Railways Road Map 2020 or something similar.
How about lobbying with a different kind of ammunition. How about lobbying with some real hard facts, technically feasible plans comprehensively covering the entire state of Karnataka. This spiced up with political backing.
In that context how about we take this up as Praja project and do the following:
- Dig out the process the railway department follows for taking up any new line, new train etc? File RTI?
- Dig out the information on all projects in Karnataka from on paper to being currently under execution? File RTI?
- Compile a list of railway network that exists today in Karnataka.
- Compile a proposed new lines that needs to be added to the existing one? May be with objective of connecting all districts in Karnataka.
- Compile a list of existing trains that are run currently and new trains to connect all dots in Karnataka
- Consolidate all the above data into a Vision Plan 2025 for Railways in Karnataka.
With that ammunition in hand, work with names like NRN, NK, RC etc and other politicians who could pursue this further. We could also work on your suggestion for a signature campaign.
Anybody game for these efforts?
Syed
COMMENTS
Praja Project? Counting our blessings
SB_YPR - 18 February, 2009 - 05:29
Anybody game for these efforts?
I am!
2. Dig out the information on all projects in Karnataka from on paper to being currently under execution?
I have mentioned the list of projects currently under implementation in my previous post. For convenience sake, I will reproduce them here:
1. Ramnagaram-Mysore doubling.
2. Shimoga-Talguppa gauge conversion.
3. Hospet-Londa doubling.
4. Kottur-Harihar new line.
5. Hubli-Ankola new line.
6. Hospet-Londa doubling (forgot to mention this earlier).
3. Compile a list of railway network that exists today in Karnataka.
A brief note on railways in Karnataka: The railway network in Karnataka is operated by five railway zones - South Western, South Central, Southern, Central and Konkan. They are controlled by eight divisions - Bangalore, Mysore, Hubli, Karwar, Solapur (MH), Palakkad (KL), Secunderabad (AP) and Guntakal (AP). 28 out of 29 districts and 23 out of 29 district HQ's are connected by rail. All the lines are broadgauge, except Shimoga-Talguppa which is under conversion. The lines are as follows:
South Western Railway - Bangalore Division
1. Bangalore-Gauribidanur-AP border (single non-electrified).
2. Bangalore-Ramnagaram (double non-electrified).
3. Bangalore-Bangarapet-AP border (double electrified).
4. Bangalore-Tumkur (double non-electrified).
5. Bangalore-Hosur (single non-electrified).
6. Bangalore-Chikkaballapur (single non-electrified).
South Western Railway - Mysore Division
1. Mysore-Ramnagaram (single non-electrified).
2. Tumkur-Arsikere-Birur-Chikjajur (single non-electrified).
3. Mysore-Hassan-Arsikere (single non-electrified).
4. Mangalore-Hassan-Shravanabelagola (single non-electrified).
5. Mysore-Chamarajanagar (single non-electrified).
6. Birur-Shimoga-Talguppa (single non-electrified).
South Western Railway - Hubli Division
1. Hubli-Harihar-Chikjajur (single non-electrified).
2. Hubli-Dharwad-Londa-Belgaum-MH border (single non-electrified).
3. Hubli-Gadag-Hospet (single non-electrified).
4. Londa-Castle Rock (single non-electrified).
5. Chikjajur-Challakere-AP border(single non-electrified).
6. Hospet-Bellary (double non-electrified).
7. Hospet-Swamihalli-Kottur-Harihar (single non-electrified).
8. Tornagallu-Ranjitpura (single non-electrified).
9. Gadag-Bijapur-MH border (sinlge non-electrified).
10. AP border-Bellary (single non-electrified).
South Central Railway - Guntakal Division
1. Bellary-AP border (double non-electrified).
2. AP border-Raichur-Wadi (double non-electrified).
South Central Railway - Secunderabad Division
1.Wadi-Tandur-AP border (double non-electrified).
2.AP border-Bidar-MH border (single non-electrified).
Central Railway - Solapur Division
Wadi-Gulbarga-MH border (double non-electrified)
Southern Railway - Palakkad Division
Panambur-Thokur-Mangalore-KL border (single non-electrified).
Konkan Railway - Karwar Division
Thokur-Karwar-GA border(single non-electrified).
(Source - Indian Railways)
4. Compile a proposed new lines that needs to be added to the existing one? May be with objective of connecting all districts in Karnataka.
In that case, only one line will be needed - to connect Kodagu (Madikeri-Mysore?).
This is my contribution. Now, can someone please do the rest and take this forward?
Regards,
~~~~
Manish, Nagarbhavi.
s_yajaman - 19 February, 2009 - 06:43
Here is a railway map of Karnataka. Could not find one which showed double and single lines.
Some key missing links
Hospet -->Lingsagur-->Yadgir without having to go through Guntakal
Bijapur -->Wadi -->Gulbarga -->Bidar
Shimoga --> Talguppa --> Sirsi -->Hubli (without having to touch Birur)
Tumkur -->Sira --> Chitradurga-->Hospet (without having to go through Arsikere and Chikjajur)
KSRTC will then supplement railways from the nearest railhead.
As far as migration on Bullet Trains go, it is a bit far fetched. There are enough flights for the rich to migrate on and enough passenger trains and buses for the middle class and poor to come on.
Srivathsa
SB_YPR - 20 February, 2009 - 08:26
I created this map to show the existing rail lines in Karnataka, based on an SVG background available on the Wikimedia Commons. the map shows double and single lines as well. This should give us an idea of what we've got and what we need to do.
[flickr-photo:id=3294054885,size=o]
Regards,
~~~~
Manish, Nagarbhavi.
[P.S.: Since I created the map in a hurry, I forgot to mark Hubli. It's the junction just below Dharwad. Will try and update soon.]
kbsyed61 - 20 February, 2009 - 15:16
Manish,
Excellent job. Do you know all the railway lines in Karnataka are converted to BG? If not, can you mark which ones are MG and BG respectively? Also there are line on which BG conversion is going on, can you mark them as well.
SB_YPR - 17 February, 2009 - 07:09
Having read the posts on this forum, I get the feeling that we are indulging in criticism without complete knowledge of what exactly we are criticising. Rather than make sweeping generalisations of "injustice" and the like, let us examine what we have recieved.
1. Bangalore Rajdhani (tri-weekly) : this makes the effective frequency of the Rajdhani daily; fulfilling a long-pending demand.
2. Yesvantpur-Mysore Express : this had been running for a long time as a special train.
3. Mumbai-Karwar Express (tri-weekly) : should benefit the people of U.K. district.
4. Tornagallu-Ranjitpura and Hospet-Swamihalli doubling : will help in transport of iron ore from Bellary district.
What was done in the last year:
1. Bagalkot-Gadag gauge conversion completed and trains inaugurated on the stretch.
2. Bangalore-Mysore doubling completed till Ramnagaram and work between Ramnagaram-Mandya in full swing.
3. Bangalore-Tumkur doubling completed.
So, at present, works in progress are:
1. Ramnagaram-Mysore doubling.
2. Shimoga-Talguppa gauge conversion.
3. Hospet-Londa doubling.
4. Kottur-Harihar new line.
5. Hubli-Ankola new line. (As per media reports, this recently received environmental clearance).
So, SWR seems to have its hands quite full at present! Could someone put up a list of other demands that were "ignored", and what areas of the state they would benefit. With the full facts on hand, we can have a more fruitful discussion.
Above all, please keep in mind that this is an "interim" budget and major expenditure has to be deferred till the new government comes in.
Regards,
~~~~
Manish, Nagarbhavi.
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