Big Update on Dharwad Belagavi Railway Line: 888 Acres of Land Yet to Be Handover
Hubballi: In a written reply in the Lok Sabha, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has provided details about the progress and status of various railway projects in the Konkan Railway region of Uttara Kannada district in Karnataka.
The Minister replied in written to Uttar Kannada MP Vishweshwara Hegde Kageri’s question.
Regarding the Talaguppa-Sirsi-Hubbali new line project, the minister informed that the Final Location Survey for the 158 km route has been sanctioned to prepare the Detailed Project Report (DPR).
For the Hubbali-Ankola section, the minister said that while earthwork and bridge works have been completed in the 47 km Hubbali-Kiravati stretch, further progress was hampered due to pending forest and wildlife clearances. He added that the project is now being planned as a double line to avoid repeated disturbances to wildlife.
On the Belagavi-Dharwad new line project, the minister stated that it has been sanctioned on a 50:50 cost-sharing basis between the Railway and the Karnataka government. However, the state government is yet to hand over the 888 acres of land required for the 73 km route.
The minister highlighted that the completion of railway projects depends on several factors like land acquisition, statutory clearances, and geological conditions, among others. He assured that every effort is being made to execute the projects expeditiously.
Notably, the minister revealed that the average annual railway outlay for Karnataka has increased nine-fold from ₹835 crore during 2009-14 to ₹7,559 crore in 2024-25. Similarly, the average annual track commissioning in the state has also increased by nearly 1.5 times during the same period.
Regarding the development of stations in the Uttara Kannada region, the minister informed that the Ministry of Railways has recently launched the Amrit Bharat Station scheme, under which 59 stations in Karnataka have been identified for improvement.
The minister also mentioned that while there is no proposal from the state government for any road overbridge, the locals from Kumta have requested for an overbridge in lieu of a level crossing, for which a feasibility survey has been conducted by Konkan Railway.
