Karwar: Uttara Kannada district continues to receive a raw deal from the Union government when it comes to Railway projects here, as this year too the Budget proposal has no projects earmarked for the district.

The Union government has not even allotted Rs 20.50 lakh funds that are required for carrying out a complete survey on the feasibility of laying railway line between Honnavar-Talaguppa.

There was huge hope among the people of the district that Nirmala Sitaraman, who represents Karnataka in the Rajya Sabha, would at least this year allot sufficient funds for the railway projects.

Laying of new railway line between Honnavar-Talaguppa, which is around 82 kms apart, is a decade old demand. While in the last budget, before the Lok Sabha elections, the Union government had in its budget proposals allotted Rs one crore for the conducting of survey and present a feasibility report. However, no funds were allotted either in the previous year or this year budget.

According to the Budget proposal a total of Rs 20.50 lakh is required for conducting only survey work.

The residents of the district say that if a railway line is connected between Honnavar and Talaguppa, the upper region of district will be better connected with coastal area and there could be faster development as the two regions will become much more closer. Commerce will be the biggest beneficiaries if the railway line is completed.

“How can the officials complete the project if the government does not even release funds to conduct survey,” said Kumta resident Krishna Bhat.

More than 350 km of Coastal districts of Karnataka does not have railway connectivity. The residents have been demanding implementation of Honnavar-Talaguppa
and Hubballi-Ankola at the earliest.

Railway Agitation Committee, Kumta Satish Naik said that it is lack of interest among political leaders for the delay in completion of these projects. He said while Dakshina Kannada district also has Western Ghats, they were able to implement railway projects. But it was only in Uttara Kannada district that the railway
projects were not implemented.

There leaders from all political parties are willing to get development for the district. However, here not many are interested, he said.