Demand for resurvey & sanction for ECR BG line project, and include it in ECEC project

During the 2008-09 rail budget, the Ministry of Railways had sanctioned a survey for construction of a new Broad Gauge (BG) line between Karaikudi and Kanyakumari via Ramanathapuram, Tuticorin & Tiruchendur along the eastern coast.

Subsequently, the survey was conducted and the report was submitted to the Railway Board along with the computation of the cost of the project.

The reconnaissance engineering cum traffic survey for the new BG line project under the subject has been conducted for the length of 462.47 Km at the cost of 1965.763 Crores.

The proposed new BG line from Karaikudi to Kanniyakumari is an important project and warrants immediate consideration.

This project is strategically important as the proposed line would link the south east coast to the Indian Railways network and help this economically backward region to get developed.

Further, the proposed line would support the acceleration of growth of the Tuticorin Port (VOC Port) by providing an additional line for its bulk freight movement.

It would also fulfill the goal of the Indian Railways to render social and utilitarian service and help wiping out the backwardness of this region.

The implementation of this project is also warranted as the proposed line would be passing through Kudankulam & Udankudy (near Thiruchendur), where the 2000 MW Atomic power plant and 1600 MW Thermal power plants are coming up, respectively.

The Chennai-Kanyakumari Industrial Corridor (CKIC) project is being implemented and is expected to be in operation soon.

The East Coast Economic Corridor (ECEC) is India’s first coastal economic corridor covering 2500 kms of India’s coastline, to be developed with the help of Asian Development Bank (ADB).

ADB has approved a $484 million loan to improve transport connectivity and road maintenance in the Chennai-Kanyakumari Industrial Corridor in Tamil Nadu, India.

Moreover, it would also help ISRO’s new project at Kulasekarapattinum.

“The Government of India and the Minister of Railways should attention that this region has seen and continues to see hectic economic activity post IR survey. It would provide the shortest connectivity between the two most visited pilgrim centres in Tamil Nadu, namely Rameswaram and Kanyakumari”, said Adv. J. G. Prince, Member of Legislative Assembly (Tamil Nadu) and the representative of Colachel Constituency, Kanniyakumari District, Tamil Nadu.

He reminds the statement of Suresh Prabhu, then Railway Minister in 20217 at Trichy said, “this project is under consideration and is most likely to be implemented.”

He say, “the south districts are one of the economically and industrially backward districts of south Tamilnadu. Establishing the new line would help the region to attract more industrial units and create more employment opportunities to the local population, besides giving additional transportation facility.”

The viability of the East Coast Railway (ECR) project has increased significantly due to the launch of projects such as CKIC, ECEC, Vizhingam port (expected to be operational within a year) in this sector.

So that it will be better to conduct a resurvey (engineering cum traffic) and recalculate the Rate of Returns for sanction and implementation. At this point of time it would be prudent of IR not to consider the ROR for this project and instead prioritise it based on socio-economic parameters, said the MLA.

Also he say, if the ECR project is included with East Coast Economic Corridor (ECEC), an Industrial Corridor project, it will be easy to get enough funding support from financial institutions.

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