Shinde Calls for Concerted Efforts for High Speed Trivandrum-Udupi Rail
With Inputs From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore
Bangalore, Nov 17: Union home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, in his inaugural address of the 25th Southern Zonal Council meeting on Friday November 16, called for coordinated efforts for extension of high speed rail corridor between Thiruvanthapuram and Mangalore upto Udupi.
The Kerala government's study regarding the 526-km high speed rail Thiruvananthapuram-Kasargod has stated that the plan was apt commercially and technologically.
The project requires less land and most of the railway tracks will be elevated and also underground.
The project costs about Rs 100 crore per kilometer. Between Kasargod and Mangalore (50 km) the project would cost Rs 5,000 crore, while between Mangalore and Udupi it would cost Rs 6,000 crore.
Currently the passengers travelling on this route use eco-friendly and airconditioned train services. Once the high speed train services start, passengers are expected shift over. Real estate development will also take place around the railway station.
Shinde also underscored the need for regulation of fishing vessles in the coastal waters, strengthening of drug control organisation, infrastructure projects like peninsular region industrial development corridor to ensure that the Southern States continued their thrust on developmental efforts with growth and good governance as the main focus.
''It is necessary to evolve an effective mechanism by all coastal States to regulate fishing vessel activities in close coordination with the Coast Guards,” Shinde said.
The revised formula adopted by the Planning Commission for allocation of Central funds under poverty alleviation had been taken up for a comprehensive review and the Centre had set up a technical group to estimate the poverty alleviation and identification of the poor.
Shinde said the Centre was according the highest priority for tackling issues pertaining to atrocities against people belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and other weaker sections of society.
National Portal for Tracking Missing, Found Children
There was a need for taking special measures to ensure protection of women and children, particularly to prevent human trafficking, he said disclosing that the Centre was developing a National Portal for tracking missing and found children.
The project envisages creating an exclusive website for tracking of missing and found children and active participation of all concerned authorities, he said.
The minister said that the state governments must gear up the police organizations keeping in view the emerging specialized functional requirements for better manpower planning and implementation.
Apart from Karnataka Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar and Deputy Chief Minister R Ashok, who is also the State’s Home and Transport Minister, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy and Puducherry Chief Minister N Rangaswamy participated in the meeting.