A three-member ministerial delegation from Kerala met Union Minister of State for Railways Darshana Jardosh in New Delhi on Thursday and urged the Centre to expedite priority projects in the State.
The delegation comprising Food Minister G.R. Anil, General Education Minister V. Sivankutty and Transport Minister Antony Raju called on Ms. Jardosh and submitted a memorandum highlighting the need for development of the rail network in the State.
The memorandum urged the Railways not to drop the proposal for a satellite terminal at Nemom in Thiruvananthapuram, develop the Kochuveli terminal, and conduct a survey for the proposed Thiruvananthapuram-Sengottai hill railway.
Later, addressing a press conference in New Delhi, the Ministers said the Thiruvananthapuram- Sengottai rail line through Nedumangad, Palode, Kulathupuzha and Thenmala assumed significance in view of the connectivity to the Vizhinjam seaport project.
Expressing concern over the reported move to give up the Nemom satellite coaching terminal project, the memorandum said it would prove to be a setback for the capital city and the State. It observed that the satellite terminal would allow the Railways to operate more services from other parts of the country and give a fillip to the development of the State.
The delegation urged the Union Minister to review the decision to drop the project and approve the DPR submitted in 2019. The Ministers also met Railway Board chairman V.K.Thripathi and handed over the memorandum.
Mr. Anil told The Hindu that the Union Minister sounded positive to the demands. “The Railway Board chairman informed us that the project had not been abandoned and that a multi-modal survey was on. We were also informed that the work on the development of the Thiruvananthapuram Central Railway Station was on schedule while the works at the Kochuveli station would be completed by March 2023.”
The Ministers said they could not meet Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw though they had scheduled an appointment with him on Thursday.
Mr. Anil is scheduled to meet Union Minister for Food and Public Distribution Piyush Goel on Friday to highlight the problems faced by the State in the public distribution system. The Centre's decision to slash the State's share of foodgrains is also likely to be brought up during the meeting.
The delegation will also call on Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Labour Minister Bhupender Yadav.
