66 railway stations in State will be developed at a cost of ₹2,000 crore, says Somanna

Minister announces ₹2,000 crore for development of 66 railway stations in Karnataka under Prime Minister's schemes.

Minister of State for Railways and Jal Shakti V. Somanna has said that 66 railway stations in the State will be developed at a cost of ₹2,000 crore under Prime Minister Gati Shakti and Amrit Bharat Station Scheme (ABSS), with work in the first phase already launched.

He was speaking with media representatives in Raichur on Tuesday after inspecting the ongoing works taken up under Gati Shakti and ABSS at the railway station.

Mr. Somanna said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken initiatives to develop railway stations at a cost of ₹15,000 crore, of which ₹2,000 crore is being spent on 66 stations in the State.

“Initially, the department will choose district stations and then, it will take up taluk and hobli level stations for development,” he added.

“The Railways Department has been sanctioned ₹2.62 lakh crore in the 2024-25 budget and the State has been allocated ₹7,500 crore. Development works, including high-standard infrastructure, drinking water and rest rooms, will be provided. Using grants, stations will be developed based on the Prime Minister’s vision,” Mr. Somanna said.

The Minister of State for Railways said that with the acquisition of 1,600 hectares so far, the land acquisition process for the Gadag-Wadi line has been completed. And, it has now been directed to complete the work expeditiously. The remaining work on the Munirabad-Mahabub Nagar line will be completed shortly.

Meanwhile, he welcomed the Governor’s decision to give sanction to prosecute Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in the MUDA scam.